‘There are hidden issues on the market, we simply must look’: Studiomama’s stone animals have quirky appeal

Among the many pebbles and shells scattered alongside the Kent, UK shoreline, a selected stone caught the attention of designer Nina Tolstrup whereas she was out strolling with associates final summer season. Its form was unusually acquainted, like a miniature vase from the Ming dynasty. ‘All of us stopped for a second to absorb its magnificence,’ remembers Jack Mama, who runs London-based design studio Studiomama with Tolstrup. ‘This drew me to look extra carefully on the stones we have been strolling on. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than I noticed one other stone and picked it up; it seemed remarkably like a seal. I knew immediately that there have been extra stone animals to be discovered.’

Studiomama’s stone animals

The pair spent the remainder of the summer season scouring the seashore searching for extra and by September had gathered round 150. ‘Discovering them was comparatively straightforward,’ states Mama. ‘When you’re tuned in, you’ll be able to see so many issues, a nostril, an eye fixed, a selected stance, character and persona.’

This tendency to see shapes or faces in on a regular basis objects is named pareidolia, an historic survival method, the place the mind makes an attempt to make sense of random strains, shapes, and colors. For Studiomama, this primal intuition has served as a springboard for a number of initiatives – a set of forged iron sculptures with summary faces, a collection of stools with winking eyes, a household of picket creatures constituted of timber off-cuts, and now Stone Animals.

To doc their seashore finds, Studiomama labored with their shut pal, photographer Dennis Pedersen, who specialises in capturing minute and complicated nonetheless lifes. ‘We needed them to look a sure approach to seize their character,’ says Mama. In some instances, that meant propping them up, or focusing in on particulars that them essentially the most – generally discovering two animals inside a single stone.

The outcomes of this exploration are introduced in a superbly crafted hardback guide, out there for buy on the studio’s web site, together with a brief animation that brings the Stone Animals to life. Created by Tolstrup and Mama’s son, Otto – a gifted filmmaker – the animation provides playful, hand-drawn legs, sound results, and delicate music, giving every stone character a whimsical sense of movement and persona. ‘On this mission, there’s a nice solid of characters because it have been,’ enthuses Mama. ‘Some have the sweetness paying homage to a Henry Moore, however it’s the irregular, odd and strange-looking ones that enchantment most to me personally. They’re tougher to learn and extra open to interpretation, one other high quality I take pleasure in.’

Whereas their earlier Off-cut Creatures (additionally documented in a devoted guide) have been showcased within the latest Enzo Mari exhibition at London’s Design Museum, the Stone Animals await their second within the highlight. For now, they reside in a heavy sack in Studiomama’s studio as Tolstrup and Mama discover methods to showcase them.

Spontaneous, playful and stuffed with child-like surprise, the Stone Animals mission serves as a reminder to cease and take note of the pure world round us – to seek out new methods of seeing. ‘All of us have busy lives and by no means have time to “cease and scent the roses” because it have been,’ displays Mama. ‘There’s something visceral in our relationship with nature and its magnificence. We hope this little mission generally is a reminder that there are hidden issues on the market, we simply must look.’