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JUAN BARAJA IS A RENOWNED SPANISH PHOTOGRAPHER WHO EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, SPACE AND LIGHT. HIS WORK, CHARACTERISED BY A CALM AND METICULOUS APPROACH, TRANSFORMS EVERYDAY STRUCTURES INTO POETIC COMPOSITIONS THAT REFLECT ON THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
What did you feel the first time you entered this old warehouse and decided to convert it into your studio?
When I first visited the warehouse, I perfectly imagined what my studio would be like. At that time, it was a practically abandoned storehouse. There were leaks, it was cluttered with junk and rubbish, but the potential of the space was evident. When I emptied it, the place was different. I did a first exercise before starting the building work and brought some of my furniture to understand the scale. I invited friends to see the space and that helped me to imagine it even better.
To what extent does the industrial past of the space influence your mental state and your creative process?
The renovation of the space was minimal. Original elements were maintained; the floor and some walls were barely touched, and the rusted roof trusses are preserved as they were. All this, together with the new parts designed by BURR, ensures that the space maintains its essence and part of its industrial past. It has become a calm, silent and orderly place.
How was your collaboration process with the studio BURR?
It was a straightforward collaboration. They quickly understood what I needed. This collaboration continues to this day, as the studio gradually adapts to my needs and I rely on them for the design of new parts. We have just finished a new work area and a system of storage racks for the artworks.
"BURR's hallmark is unmistakable and is very present in the studio; furthermore, it is fully integrated with the furniture, the rest of the materials and the space itself."
Do you feel that this place also “photographs” you, in a certain way?
Yes, I believe that spaces end up reflecting those who inhabit them. Over time, the studio has become a sort of indirect portrait of my way of working, my interests and my relationship with objects and colour.
Has your work changed since you have been working here?
Not especially, but this space has allowed me to work in a different way. Right now, it allows me to develop several projects at the same time and coexist with them differently. The work is much more present than before.
Do you think that reclaiming industrial spaces for creative uses is important for the city?
I believe it is the salvation for many spaces like this one, which could have disappeared in several neighbourhoods of Madrid. They are spaces that adapt to the needs of artists and designers who require large surfaces to develop their projects. Many of these warehouses belonged to trades that have been disappearing or moving to industrial estates on the outskirts.
What importance does colour have in your daily experience of the space?
I work with light and colour. My photography is based on the balance of lines and colour. That inevitably carries over into daily life. There are three recurring colours that repeat in the studio, something that was never intentional: yellow, green and orange.
"Many pieces of furniture are found in the street and others come from flea markets or second-hand shops. Some are of no use at all, but they have a story, and that interests me"
Is there any object in the atelier that you consider particularly important or symbolic?
A yellow chair that I found in a street in Lisbon. I walked for quite a while with it from Alfama to Calçada do Monte, in Graça. It has been with me for many years and I am particularly fond of it.
What trends are you currently excited about in the world of furniture and interior design?
I am interested in designs that recover honesty in materials and visible structures. Also a return to the use of colour as a constructive element of the space, not just decorative.
Why do you choose The Masie?
From the beginning, it was a generous proposal and, from the very wide catalogue, we have selected several pieces that fitted with my way of being, living and working in this space.
What do our furniture pieces inspire in you?
Comfort and empathy. They are furniture pieces that dialogue in harmony with the rest of the items in the space, offering me simple and functional solutions for my day-to-day life.
Favourite piece from The Masie
The IREM table. It has become an essential piece in the studio.
A colour
I choose three: yellow, orange and green.
Favourite style
I really like 1950s furniture. There is a restrained modernity that rounds off its functionality and a lot of honesty in its visual intelligence.
Museum piece
Anything by Jean Prouvé.
Your references
I am particularly interested in authors who work from the observation of the built landscape and colour as the structure of the image, such as Stephen Shore, Luigi Ghirri or Wolfgang Tillmans.