FOREVER IS TOO LONG is a new collection of ceramic furniture, lighting and objects that are dedicated to the memory of my younger sister. This work allows us a more holistic approach to object making, running a studio, and showing up in community.
The collection is inspired by listening to Laurie Anderson’s O, Superman on repeat, finding fleeting moments of peace and wonder during grief, the interiors in Pasolini’s Teorema, a long distance love affair, the door scene in Agnes Varda’s Le Bonheur, Maya Plisetskaya’s arms in Ravel's Bolero (1975). This body of work is dedicated to the memory of my younger sister, Alexis, whom we long in 2024. The past few years have been a marked by reconnecting with my intuition and my family, and the intersection of both of these in Italian pagan and folk magic rituals.
The craft is ancient and the forms are familiar. While each piece is structurally sound, I embrace the nature of the finishes. Cracks in the applied slips and imperfections in the application of studio-made glazes are encouraged and allowed.
As I’ve learned about this medium, I’ve had to focus on letting go and leaving room for the divine.
- Jamie Iacoli
Process
“I use clay from Oregon and Idaho that contains grog. Grog consists of small, sand-like particles of ground up clay that has already been fired. This allows me to build larger, but makes achieving a smooth porcelain-like finish impossible.”
“When folks say that working with clay is humbling, they aren’t kidding. Until it’s fired, this stuff feels alive, and that’s quite a hurdle when you are trying to form it into a side table. We are a very small studio based in Portland, OR and we are able to offer our clients custom finishes and invite them to be a part of the creative process of these pieces.”
“I really didn’t enjoy working with clay, at first. I was designing and making objects that were more suited to be made from wood or steel. Having spent nearly 15 years designing using primarily those materials, that was what I was used to. It took me longer than I’d anticipated, or want to admit, to wrap my head around designing pieces that are suitable for the characteristics and constraints of ceramics.”
Our work can be seen in corporate headquarters and projects by the following clients:
Airbnb
Amazon
Beats by Dre
SAKS 5th Ave
Dropbox
Hilton Hotels
Le Bon Marché - Paris
Nordstrom
Saks 5th Ave
Salesforce
Squarespace
Starbucks
Tiffany & Co.
Tumblr
Vaynor Media
W Hotel
Wework
Our products have been carried in the following stores and boutiques:
Ace Hotel
ABC Home
COS
The Future Perfect
Gestalten
Matter
Mociun
Paul Smith
Starbucks Reserve Roastery
Totokaelo
Viva Iacoli is a continuation of the work begun by Jamie Iacoli & Brian McAllister in Seattle in 2007. The studio designed, developed and fabricated a line of furniture, lighting & objects for the home until 2021.
Over the years, the work has been featured in The New York Times, T Magazine, Wallpaper*, Dwell, Surface, Elle Decor UK, Fast Company, Wired, Sight Unseen, Interior Design, Vogue Living among other publications online and in print.
“My work draws from my studies in eastern and western philosophy, 19th and 20th century literature, 20th & 21st century art, getting out of the US, and a whole lot of quiet time spent in solitude. Inspired by the Bauhaus, I tend to keep it simple by exploring the way lines, planes and volumes intersect space. I think a lot about emotions (vibes), barometric pressure changes and liminal space. I am intrigued by the nuance of what we cannot see but we know exists, the negative physical space created and therefore highlighted by the work.”
-Jamie Iacoli