Handcrafted Ceramics by Johanne Birkeland of Jossolini
people • makers
Johanne Birkeland is an Oslo-based ceramist who employs traditional pottery techniques to create distinctive ceramic lamp bases. Working under the brand name Jossolini, she crafts each piece by hand, utilizing methods such as wheel throwing, pinching, and coiling.
Her work is characterized by a deep appreciation for the inherent qualities of clay, resulting in pieces that balance functionality with artistic expression. Johanne’s creations are produced in her workshops located in Tjøme and Oslo, where she continues to explore the versatility and beauty of ceramic art.
WEBSITE: jossolini.no INSTAGRAM: @jossolini
Words: designeers
july 2024
designeers
How would you describe your style?
johanne birkeland
I make large pieces that challenge the strength of the material and the balance of the form. I decorate my pieces with “skins” and explore how different patterns can affect how one experiences the shape.
designeers
The most important object you have designed so far:
johanne birkeland
A tiny lumpy lamp with black dots I made just after I graduated. It was featured in Norway’s most important interior magazine. It wasn’t my best piece, but I still look at pictures of it for inspiration. Sometimes I feel that my creativity was purer when I was younger and less experienced. My only focus was to explore the material and have fun with it.
designeers
Sources of creative desire:
johanne birkeland
The clay itself. Clay is a soft and organic material, and its natural movement can create amazing shapes. I have come up with some of my best designs by letting the clay do as it wants, and to control its movement only slightly. I strive to find the perfect meeting point between clay as a dependent material and me as a craftsman.
designeers
What do you do when you're not in the studio?
johanne birkeland
I’m always at the studio. You don’t have hobbies when you do what I do!
“I have come up with some of my best designs by letting the clay do as it wants, and to control its movement only slightly.”
johanne birkeland
designeers
Penthouse or townhouse:
johanne birkeland
Penthouse. I am more of a townhouse girl, but after living as a poor artist for so long, I have this secret dream of living in an enormous and posh penthouse flat, and to drink San Pellegrino from a wine glass every morning.
designeers
On your coffee table right now:
johanne birkeland
I consume books, and my tiny apartment is overflowing with them. When I travel, I spend my whole budget on books from the museum shops. But my favorite right now is a beautiful
book about Pierre Bonnard. He is one of my favorite artists, and a great inspiration for colors.
designeers
Favourite hotel in the world?
johanne birkeland
When I was a student I visited this crazy hotel in California, Madonna Inn. I like it when a place gives you an unexpected experience rather than just aesthetic pleasure. I remember we slept in a blue, circular room in an enormous roundly shaped bed. I will never forget that room.
designeers
Design hero:
johanne birkeland
I think, within ceramic arts and design, that Lucie Rie still holds the throne, but among the living, I really admire the works of Leah Kaplan.
