For some young designers the Graduation Show is the beginning of a career. For some it is a part of their existence as independent designers. Joel Booy is one of the graduates in the white lady building, showcasing his Dark Matter light collection. He is also presenting a collection in Temporary Art Center with his partner Kate Booy. The designer duo, working together in Studio Truly Truly have created lights, furniture, wallpaper and even coats and shoes to create a feeling of flowing energy.
Like his lights, the objects that are presented in TAC are sculptural. "We have grown together as designers," Booy says. "We both like to communicate an atmosphere through objects. Like the Dark Matter lights, these objects are functional but at the same time they affect the viewer. There is a certain feeling about them. The patterns on the wallpaper can make you slightly dizzy, and the wire in the frame of the tables seems to dance and flow in front of your eyes."
The Booys aren't the first designer duo in Holland. They follow in the footsteps of Scholten & Baijings, Studio Jo and Studio Drift: But they are possibly the first Australians. Why choose Holland? "We were both working as graphic designers working for a non-commercial studio in Australia," says Joel. "We never worked for commercial clients, but only in the domain of arts and culture. Everybody got paid the same, there was hardly any hierarchy. There we really cut our teeth on design. I started experimenting with materials, all 3D projects were given to me because I was never afraid to start and always found a way of making things work. Design Academy Eindhoven gave me room for this hands-on and experimental way of working. I wanted to come and when I arrived I felt like a fish in water." Kate adds: "I could see from the amount of work and the quality that the teachers were demanding that it was not an easy school. You have to let go of all you know. But that makes it interesting."
Studio Truly Truly aims to surprise. They see designing as way of self-expression. However the function of things should not be lost. "I think our work is never somewhere in the middle,`' says Joel. "We either hand out the missing puzzle piece, or we don't. And we like it that way. We make things we would like to have in our homes ourselves. The possible buyer is us. Everybody is human: we don't place ourselves above or below 'the public', so when we feel that a design clicks and triggers a feeling or a marvel within us, we are on the right track."
Although Kate and Joel say that their similar tastes help them, they also have complementary personalities. Joel: "Kate is more imaginative. Everything is open. Sometimes she comes up with ideas that my hands think are not possible. Kate: "Joel is also imaginative, but he thinks a lot through making. In a similar way, his hands make things that exceed my imagination. He works from material and can be fascinated by a piece of fence, that I wouldn’t notice. Somewhere in the middle we meet."
Photos: all by Studio Truly Truly
www.studiotrulytruly.com
Particles and Frequencies, TAC building, still to be seen the coming weekend!