Maia Beyroutiis a Franco-Palestinian artist, designer, and founder of Moio studio. The studio focuses on collectible ceramic design pieces that bridge art, crafts and design. From vessels to side tables, the pieces feature experimental glaze work that comes as a result of the ongoing research in the studio, often incorporating foraged sand, ashes and clay into the glazes. Each piece is crafted by hand, and the projects evolve out of the studio’s enquiry on local raw materials. The approach to form is a mixture of elements that overlay the local, the symbolic and the cultural qualities of material. The pieces take visual cues from the carving of stone by erosion and industry, while the glazes echo something of water and liquidity, expressing architectural and mineral elements found in caves and quarries. These are combined with references to plants as ornament and their relation to the artist's roots as a diaspora Palestinian. Each piece is unique, and finished with various overlays of glazes exclusive to the studio. Custom projects are possible and can include materials found in the local environment such as sand, ash or rocks, used as glazing materials. The pieces can be tailor made to suit the needs of any interior or exterior project.
Maia Beyrouti
Crafts and Furniture Designer | Palestine - France
Maia Beyrouti. Image courtesy of the Designer
The Interview
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
I see my practice more as a crafts based practice than a design practice, which means I look both to heritage and materials to inform the work. I was always drawn to work with my hands and explore the formal and visual qualities of raw materials, so having a ceramic design studio allows me to be both experimental and practical.
How does your cultural or regional context influence your design work?
Both my experience as a diaspora Palestinian and my geographical location at any given moment influence the pieces that I make. I look at traditional Palestinian forms of vessels, or I take visual cues from the regional architecture, rocks or coastlines in my work, using materials that I collect to add to the glazes I develop.
What is your design philosophy or approach to creative problem-solving?
My design philosophy is to focus on the material themselves, their geological features, their context, and their properties.
How do you stay inspired and continue to evolve your creative practice?
The inspiration coming from the collection and observation of local raw materials is constantly informing the work I make. Tying my preoccupation with land and materials into the practice is a way to anchor the work in both geographic and temporal locations, and the materials I collect make me experiment with glazes so each piece grows into the next. I continue to build on this knowledge and apply it to bigger pieces in order to make the side tables and pedestals.
Works
Maia Beyrouti. Image courtesy of the Designer
Maia Beyrouti. Image courtesy of the Designer