- NV What’s the first thing that came to mind when you got the brief?
- MG After a good 20-minute round of excitement, fear, self-doubt then excitement again, I eventually landed on a somewhat arrogant approach. To be selfish and design something that resonated with me. I didn’t want to design something with others in mind, as you are never going to please everyone.
- NV And then…?
- MG I grabbed all my sketchbooks from the last few years and found that I already had the design ready to go. One rainy day in Berlin three years ago, I was flicking through Belgian photographer Jan Kempenaers’ images of architectural monuments (spomeniks) built in the former Yugoslavia circa 1960–1990. Each structure was a symbol of history and war, each one exceptionally beautiful yet more or less forgotten. The resulting design is an instinctive manifestation of my Croatian heritage and of my love for these truly distinct forms which I discovered at the age of ten, on my first trip to the motherland. Without really knowing it at the time, I now feel that this is my gratitude more than my inspiration.
- NV Had you ever worked with anything similar to Elba before?
- MG No. And in fact, having limited knowledge about what was and wasn’t possible was an asset. You go into the creative process without caution. It’s a lovely freedom.
- NV What are you hoping to achieve with this design?
- MG My aim was to create something that was functional but also sculptural and beautiful enough to be appreciated without it being in use. If the user feels it does both, I have achieved what I intended.
Marsha Golemac’s work is unified by a desire to create engaging narratives. A renowned art director based in Melbourne, her distinct approach to image-making is evident across a body of work that spans from complex set designs to strikingly simple yet highly refined still lifes.
Bold and collaborative, Marsha continues to push creative boundaries while achieving successful outcomes with each project, whether editorial or commercial. With New Volumes, Golemac undertakes her first foray into product design.