Studiomama’s cast faces capture a sense of childlike joy

For Jack Mama and Nina Tolstrup, founders of London-based design studio Studiomama, joy and play are central to their work. ‘As we grow older, that sense of wonder often gets drummed out of us,’ says Mama. ‘Having children reawakened it – and brought back that instinct to make things just for the sake of it. No agenda, just joy. When I show something to Nina and she laughs or smiles, then I know we’ve found something.’

It’s an instinctive, often unconscious approach that has given rise to some of their most endearing projects, including ‘The Offcuts’, ‘Stone Animals’, and ‘Face Castings’ – the last of which began in 2019, when, in pockets of time between other work, Mama began creating a series of drawings – sketches that suggested faces. ‘The eyes were always a fixed distance apart,’ he recalls. ‘Since then, the forms have evolved to become more abstract, and visually informed by the industrial heritage of the foundry we’re working with.

Each piece is cast by hand at James Hoyle & Son, one of London’s last traditional iron foundries. Founded in 1880 and located near Broadway Market in Hackney, the third-generation workshop still uses processes largely unchanged for centuries. ‘You walk through an unassuming doorway and into the heart of the industrial revolution,’ says Mama. ‘It’s like stepping back in time. Our friend and book collaborator, graphic designer Marcia Mihotich, made a beautiful short film about the making of the castings – so you can see for yourself what I’m inadequately trying to describe in words.’

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The resulting forms hover somewhere between relic and ready-made. Some viewers have likened them to Anglo-Saxon artefacts; others see them as found objects. That ambiguity is intentional. ‘We suggest what it could be, and the viewer completes the rest. That interaction enriches the narrative and makes each object personal in the eyes of the beholder.’

The ongoing series is also deeply influenced by Italian designer Bruno Munari – specifically his 1970 book Guardiamoci negli occhi (‘Look into My Eyes’), which invited readers to see through the eyes of another using cut-out portraits. ‘Munari’s poetic way of seeing really resonates with us,’ says Mama. ‘He worked freely across disciplines – painting, sculpture, film, children’s books, and industrially produced objects. What I love most is how he did all of this with such aplomb and a playful, inquisitive spirit. In our own practice, there’s a similar curiosity to work across many fields of design – from furniture, products, interiors and graphics to one-off commissions.’

Having already made books about the studio’s ‘Stone Animals’ and ‘Offcuts’ series (£25 each from the studio's online store), Mama and Tolstrup are now planning to publish Face Castings as the third title in that ongoing exploration (three of the sculptures are also available to buy online). In the end, it’s less about what the pieces are, and more about what you see – and what makes you smile.

studiomama.com