Design Experiments for a Greener Tomorrow - A chat with the brains behind Dear Human
Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell, the talented husband and wife duo behind Dear Human, were already proficient artists before launching their visual arts and design collaborative in 2010. Jasna Sokolovic studied architecture at the University of Sarajevo and at the University of Belgrade in former Yugoslavia. She completed her studies in fine arts at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Noel O’Connell is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison and holds an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Furthermore, he is a prestigious Fulbright scholar in art and architecture. Since the inception of their boutique studio, it is plain to see in all of their work, that they pride themselves on meticulous material research combined with the perfect balance of sustainability, playfulness and style.
The Terrene caught up with the duo to find out more about their professional trajectory as well as their defining aesthetic.
Tell me about your path to starting Dear Human together.
The best thing about our beginnings was that it was very natural. We were both practicing artists working on our independent work in ceramics. We had met at an artist’s residency in Denmark in 2008. From the moment we met, we fell into collaborating and exploring ideas together without hesitation.
What was your reason for starting Dear Human?
As time went on we kept collaborating with each other and eventually we had built a pretty large body of work and projects together. Finally we came to a turning point where we had outgrown our cozy and well-placed studio on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. The ideas we wanted to pursue were large urban intervention projects and we were also envisioning new material directions and design goals. We went through a branding process to define the intent and values for our new direction, and went off to Europe for several months to work on our first project. When we got back we found a bigger studio inside a local garment factory and that was the beginning of Dear Human.
How would you describe your work at Dear Human in your own words?
At its core, Dear Human has always been about “facilitating discovery.” This has meant different things at different times. In the beginning it was all about creating urban interventions meant to cause pause and thoughtful reflection. In the products we design it has been about rethinking traditional craft and materiality to create twists and give them interactive changeability or some secret detail to be revealed through exploration. When developing new materials it has been about keeping things unpredictable and unexpected—applying unconventional methods of formation or use. We continue to be surprised by new twists in material exploration and it’s usually these surprises that lead to new bodies of work. Playfulness runs through all of our works, which often appear like children’s toys. Also fundamental to Dear Human since the beginning has been recycling materials or using carefully selected sustainable materials in creating our works.
Formal education in your field is something that seems to be very important to you both. Both of you hold degrees in architecture and art. How important do you think a formal degree is to start a career in design and visual arts?
Formal education has definitely helped both of us by introducing us to possibilities that we might not have been exposed to otherwise, but it seems to be less important as time goes on. We were who we were before and after our educations, and although it can offer insight and opportunity, ultimately it’s really all about personal drive and curiosity. There are many examples of self-taught dynamos out there, but then there are those who need more framework to learn how to learn, see more critically, and understand why we make the things we make. So it all depends on the individual.
As business partners, is it important for you to have clearly identified roles separate from one another?
This part happened naturally—It worked out by luck or design that our strengths were complimentary and we filled in the gaps as we went along. We believe it is very important to have identified roles and not to have too much overlap in any one area, but we never really had to apply much rational thought to this.
What does a typical day look like for you both?
It has changed a bit during the time of Covid-19, but generally has always been like this: The dog wakes us up for his walk and then we feed our kids, make sure everyone has their plan for the day—big focus on meals, treats and recreation (Jasna’s department). Noel responds to emails and does any clerical and writing jobs in the morning from home. The studio is a short walk from home in the same neighbourhood in Montreal. We usually get in by late morning and after a bit of work we have the lunch that we prepared, a coffee from our trusty espresso machine, and push through all of our hands-on work until around 5:30-6. Then we go home, make dinner, and spend time with the family.
Tell us how your work first started getting recognized? Did you tap into your social networks, or did you actively market yourselves?
We had some early exposures in our urban interventions and products, but it was our research in recycled paper that brought the most attention to us for its original approach. We have been lucky that we did not to have to do much marketing ourselves, other than reaching out to the writers or editors that have featured us in the past and giving them our latest developments. Exhibitions and social media have been important builders as well.
Is there a product you are most proud of or that represents your design approach best?
All of our paper-made works for their unique recycling process represent us well, but Paper tiles specifically got a lot of exposure. After launching the tiles we suddenly had to figure out what they were and how to properly make them. Developing them and the machinery and processes around them was a huge, but very rewarding job. After the launch, it took us a few years to scale our production and eventually we had to scale it again to the point where we can now take on fairly large projects with them. It was important through all the scaling that we maintain the same handmade and quirky quality like the beginning as well as continue to collect post-consumer paper from local businesses for creating them. Today it has been made into a separate company called Papertile and has a dedicated website: papertile.ca
We are all living through unprecedented times. Do you guys feel a responsibility to contribute to something bigger than yourself?
It’s a good question. I think before all of this happened we already felt that kind of responsibility. For us, it has been a driving force for many years and the reason we have been practicing sustainable design. However, during the lockdown our plans and projects were derailed and we ceased working for some time. It became an introspective moment of regrouping and learning to adapt to a new world. Although sustainability is still important to us, we have also discovered some new directions that we are excited to participate in, where design hasn’t entered into the picture yet. Sort of like how we stumbled into the acoustics world back in 2014. It’s still too early to say what these frontiers are, but we are eager to dive into them in the coming months.
What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out in design, that you wish someone would have once given you?
Noel: After having had many assistants and interns over the years and pouring a lot of teaching and skill building efforts into them, it is to find an apprenticeship with a studio or designer you admire. I would say volunteer if you have to, and learn everything you can from them. This is where skills are built, more than in school and you can also learn a lot about how to (and how not to) run a business. You can’t get any of this practical learning in school, which is the greatest shortcoming of formal education. Another thing someone did tell me that I was always grateful for was, to take a lot of time in exploration and self-learning between undergraduate and graduate degrees. Those seven years were my most formative.
Jasna: Don’t take yourself too seriously; be explorative, playful and spontaneous. Also, knock on many doors and some of them will open.
Now just a few short answers for our section called Insiders select:
Favorite designers and studios…
We love studios that are collaborating with artisans and working in traditional crafts. Tributo in Guadalajara, Mexico is one of those and we have been lucky to work with them on several fulfilling projects. https://tributo.mx/
Favourite galleries and space…
Mint Shop in London is a great curatorial resource—we haven’t been there, but love everything they do and have been lucky to show work with them occasionally. Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan is unparalleled and we were looking forward to showing new works with her at the past design week in the Trashformation Village, but it was of course canceled.
Where do you go to look at great design?
Design Week Milan is the best place in the world to see people from everywhere bringing amazing ideas together. For a nice contrast, Stockholm Furniture Fair is a great resource for seeing a lot of good design all in one tidy location. It’s also a nice place to walk up and meet designers who you admire and speak with them.
Favourite Design magazines, blogs or websites…
Milk Decoration is great. We had a subscription to Frame for many years and it makes for a good library of info to keep checking back on.
Words by Srishti Jindal
