INTERNI Magazine: Stability and Movement
The constant search for balance between the idea and the production process in the Balance collection by Joel Escalona
Transcript from original Article published in 2018
Ten unique pieces made of different materials challenge the laws of balance. The Balance collection, designed and edited by Joel Escalona, one of the most influential designers in the Mexican scene, is the expression of his constant search for stability between the idea and the production process, between design and industry. It is a collection that wants to move away from serial production and return to craftsmanship, becoming a collection of objects with a high aesthetic and conceptual content that highlights, through the use of different materials, the different techniques applied by laboratories and industries in the territory.
Each element was made using different traditional manual processes, as well as artisanal and industrial technologies explored at different times by Escalona. By repeating the same object typology and different scales, the collection shows in each composition a balance between technique, artisanal mastery, and inspirational ideas, becoming an example of the capacity of the Mexican industry.
"Throughout my life, I have sought balance and failed. Between love and apathy, between my friends and my family, between disinterest and obsession, between what I want and what I really need. Obsessed with finding balance in my life, I unexpectedly found it in my passion: creation." The collection was presented in February in Mexico City on the occasion of Zona Maco, the main art fair in Latin America, last April in Milan in collaboration with the ammann // gallery art gallery during the MIART art fair, and in June at the Miami Art Basel art fair.
Joel, unlike many, presented himself as an ally of companies and saw an opportunity there. With a firm step and without hesitation, he knocked on the doors of companies presenting his projects. And so, he managed to work with Roche Bobois, Compass, TANE, Urrea, and Libbey. He acknowledges having learned a lot, especially from the last two, as he had the opportunity to get involved with multidisciplinary teams. His style is clean, he loves sinuosity and contrast with straight lines. In the latest edition of Zona MACO, he presented his first personal collection and sold most of the work to the public during the same fair.
