Diego and Alexeja
photo by Beny Steiner taken at her home/studio in Switzerland
Diego and Alexeja
Interview by Daniela Selva
Today I spoke with the magical creative duo Diego Alonso and Alexeja Pozzoni creators of the Ibiza appointment-only showroom known as ChAI ShOP, featuring beautiful pieces they bring back from their sourcing trips to Indonesia, India, and Morocco. I am also excited to share this interview because not only is it beautiful to learn about their creative process and inspirations, we are also very excited about their upcoming exhibition at Mondo Gallery happening during art week in Madrid, please read on.
How did you team up and career highlights so far?
We met in Ibiza some years ago. It was a funny story that started with Indian Rudraksh Malas that we both had. The friendship grew while Alexeja was working in fashion and Diego in art. Then we fell in love and from the bank of favors of the universe the proposal came to do the interior design project Can7 in Formentera. Although before we always exchanged and supported each other in all sort of business communication and ideas , it was magical to discover that we were fitting so well on combining our ideas and skills and transmitting them into reality . Like an interstellar encounter of matter banging into a dark hole full of light things were rapidly falling in place at the right time.
What followed was a cascade of projects from different fields where we started enhancing this creative melange more and more, expanding it into our daily life as well as our art curation, interior design, editorials and immersive experience events.
Our best project so far is our life. In the professional field we always look forward for the next thing to come, it's always exciting to face a new empty canvas and observe how things start developing.
Greatest inspirations or influences?
We get inspiration from our daily meditation and from simple aspects of daily life that we encounter on our travels. We travel for work, pleasure, necessity and as a way of living. We meet people face to face and we try to understand the essential in living.
On a more theoretical path we have many likes and admirations but we can say we both have the same high level of inclination for Jiddhu Krishnamurti’s view on life - if this affects our work or not , one must say yes, because it affects our lives.
Inspiration is everywhere - you just need to open your eyes and see it .
Most interesting projects and upcoming ones?
We are currently carrying several projects simultaneously. As a shepherd guides his/her flock through the valley of the Atlas. Right now we are focusing our energy on the exhibition "The Space in Between" artworks by Margherita Chiarva with a soundscape by Toni Castells which we are curating at MONDO GALERIA, our art gallery in Madrid.
We are always thinking and researching for the interiors of Can 7 Formentera the art residence property of our friend Frits Thieme and at the end of the year we are working hard on a Unique Immersive Experience that will take place in Rajasthan, India, near Udaipur.
Tell us about your creative process?
We meet the client, and if we don't know them previously, we try to understand their view and needs and why have they chosen us for the project. Then we visit the location and feel it - this is essential as we do believe strongly that one needs to resonate with a place - as this is one of the most important aspects of our work : bringing the right vibration to a location - through art and design.
We start studying the case in particular, avoiding comparisons with other projects, trying to find ideas or concepts that appeal to us in relation to this project. This process goes ON around the clock. One cannot say we work from 9 to 5 mode, we totally do the opposite, suddenly you can wake up in the middle of the night (or the day) with a solution or an idea that will trigger a full line of thoughts and ideas.
Once we are both on the same the path, and this happens very often, we start exchanging ideas between us and bring them down to reality, or actually to the reality of this particular project. Then we create a mood board for us and for the client so we can share our vision which will help to calculate budget, timings and dedication from our side. Once the client sets off on the path that we suggest things start falling into place and the ideas need to begin to be transmitted into reality (research, sourcing & developing products, mock-ups , hands on installations, artisanal and artist collaborations , the list is long).
Depending on what kind of project we are working on we will do more physical or more digital work, but always we integrate it into our daily life- we continue our unroutinous routine in which we include the space we are creating in our conversations, dreams, visits to providers, friends, collaborators, etc.
During the process the client becomes very much part of our life. We get more and more immersed with all aspects and we deliver what we consider is the best solution for the project . Ego should be left out of creation to reach the maximum of what can be achieved - that’s why every project needs to be approached differently - it’s all about vibration.
Do you have to travel often for your work?
We travel constantly. It is a good source of inspiration. Alexeja has been traveling in and out of Bali for nearly twenty five years running garment and all sort of product development, setting and following up production lines for clients. Diego lived in India for more than ten years working on photography, advertising and production followed by 10 years running his gallery in Madrid and curating several shows in museums and institutions.
Now together we jump from place to place sourcing, producing and encountering creative solutions for our clients. Meanwhile we always research and develop products for our ChAI ShOP events that take place in our showroom in Ibiza as well as in different pop-up locations around the world.
We mostly work with artisans and we believe that to develop products with “soul” the connection with the makers need to be on a face to face level -
it’s our way to create a healthy bridge between the makers and the consumers - it’s important to us to keep the relationship between the two worlds balanced and transparent . One can not do without the other .
Is sustainability a focus when it comes to your creative approach?
Yes. We try to keep our productions the most sustainable or better to say transparent as possible, focusing on working with small producers, we like to know the people producing the items and where they come from. We try to recycle and revise all what is possible by using or transforming what is given by a place. When we do interiors for example, we only buy new things when there is no other way to approach it . Sometimes the magic lies in just rearranging what is there already.
Of course there is always the question of the carbon footprint because of our travels , but we compensate with not consuming unnecessary items and always collaborating with small family businesses rather than corporates.
Favourite websites, or social media handles?
Instagram. Our approach is very visual. We have a chorus of accounts with different voices. All are different in their handling and expression .
Anything else you/d like to add?
We like to thank you for the interview and for the interesting work you do scouting creative minds and events around the world. Then we would like to thank all the artists and artisans that we work with who are the source of our inspiration and our clients for their trust .
To our future clients we would like to say : never be afraid of change .
Photo Credits
Bokao: Restaurant where we did the art curation in Ibiza Recycled: AD Studio headquaters in Bali AD IBiza by ©Chiaraoscura: Headquarters of AD Studio in Ibiza Can 7: Private House/Art Residence in Formentera Castle: Private House Ibiza Interior Design DMT ST MORITZ: Recent Immersive Experience in St. Moritz "Das Magische Theater" ("Only God Knows" art by Sergio de Arrola) Portrait By Beny Steiner: AD Studio at artist Not Vital Studio in Sent (Switzerland)
