Studio Jaia
Love at first sight
Having worked for years as an architect in cities like Los Angeles or Berlin, Anna Lena Kortmann, from Germany, decided to give it all up to devote herself to the traditional weaving of chairs and furniture in Mallorca. An art she has now mastered.
text César Mateu Moyà
photography Íñigo Vega
Anna Lena tells her story as though she were experiencing it at this precise moment: “It was Balearics Day. I was strolling along Paseo Sagrera when I was suddenly hypnotised, seeing that man working with his needle”. The man Anna Lena means is called Guillem Monserrat, a master artisan of chair weaving who is “capable of creating authentic works of art with his own two hands”, as we can read on his website. “It was a shot from Cupid’s bow, love at first sight. It had always been my dream to design and produce furniture, and watching him I knew that I wanted to do the same thing he was doing. I didn’t hesitate, I went up to him and asked him if he could teach me. He said yes”.
And for a year now, weaving chairs has been Anna Lena’s new profession, after learning Guillem’s secrets, devoting much time and concentration to the process. Her pattern and stringing atelier is called Studio Jaia.
If we go back in time, we can visualize Anna Lena – a German woman – working as an interior architect in cities such as Los Angeles or Berlin. And, like many of her compatriots, spending the summer on Mallorca. “With Mallorca it was love at first sight, too; life here is calmer than in Berlin, the mix of people is exciting. I would hardly see any elderly people there, and I think the affection shown towards them here is wonderful. Which is why I decided to stay and do something of my own”. She has been a resident of the island for four years now.
Studio Jaia (jaia means grandmother in Catalan) creates furniture with traditional values. “My hands are an extension of my brain. Things develop differently, they are not always what you think. Projects change”, affirms the person who one fine day grew tired of working with computers alone.
As well as stringing chairs, she also creates and builds her own furniture. She likes simple, light structures, “the combination of the pure and the modern. There is a somewhat Japanese influence in my creations – simple designs, with very fine details – or a ‘60s style – clear, simple and subtle. Fabric brings a great deal of warmth to this blend”, she says.
For Anna, her work is extremely spiritual. “When you weave, you need a lot of patience, but at the same time it transmits great peace to you. It is beautiful work, because you focus on the piece. When I worked as an architect, I had to [...]
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