In this exclusive series, photographer Voula Monoholias goes behind the curtain to see where and how creatives live.
This week Toronto-based woodworkers Jason and Lars Dressler invite Monoholais into their studio, where they craft furniture and other objects with respect for material, process, and craftsmanship.
You are both trained engineers and left the engineering world to pursue your passion in furniture design. What advice do you have for anyone considering making a career change to what they truly love?
J: Making the leap to do something you are passionate about is a challenge but worth the effort. If you’re looking for something to be easy you may be in trouble, but if you’re looking for something that’s hard but fulfilling then by doing it you will succeed. Don’t give up, continue to challenge yourself.
What attracts you to working with wood?
L: What attracts us to working with wood is its beauty, both the majestic qualities of when it is living and standing tall as well as when it has become a building material full of character and uniqueness. Wood is also a renewable resource where forests support entire ecosystems and, when properly managed, continuously yield valuable materials. It’s life and usefulness can also be extended when a careful and thoughtful approach is taken to reuse and upcycling.
What is your favorite thing/object/feeling in or about your work space?
L: What I like about our space are the potential materials that fill it and the useful tools that can manipulate that material, the creative energy. Oh, and the skylight.
What does Toronto mean to you?
L: Toronto is where we choose to live and run our business. It’s a city brimming with diversity and cultural inspiration. This is also where we have spent much of our life gaining rich memories and valuable friendships.
What have you learned from asking “what would Neil Young do”?
L: Keep creating.
Who are your artists of inspiration?
L: Jean Prouve, Andy Goldsworthy, the Eames, Weiwei, Dali and many others. Music is also a huge source of inspiration and an important element of our working environment.
Any life changing experiences?
J. There are many life-changing experiences, but I think one of the more influential periods that put me on to the path of being a designer was living in Europe while playing professional basketball right after university. Going into small towns full of culture and thoughtful design is so inspiring, even when I wasn’t looking for it. I think we miss that here in Canada where all the cities are so young and becoming more homogenous with every big box complex.
L. One experience I recall would be the first time I saw the film Baraka many years ago with a close friend who is no longer with us. Getting a glimpse of both the beauty in the world and our place in it as human beings, along with the devastation we are wreaking upon it.
What has having kids taught you about design?
J. Having a child reminds me of what it was like to learn things anew. Reliving the different ages, always curious to see what can become of anything. Children have an intuitive creativity that has had no influences to hold it back
The Brothers Dressler have an upcoming exhibit, Brothers Dressler: 10 Years and Beyond, that will celebrate ten years of creating responsibly-produced furniture, lighting and objects. The exhibition runs from Wednesday January 23, 2013 until Sunday January 27, 2013.
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Voula Monoholias is a contributing photographer for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter @voulavous.
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