Land Rover & Studio Job

AUTOMOBILE

Land Rover & Studio Job

AUTOMOBILE

For a designer, one of the most prestigious commissions is the design of a car. Preferably for a famous brand or for an iconic car. Designing a car means you’re successful! There are several examples of this, but I will only mention the Ford by Marc Newson and the recent Renault by Rose Lovegrove. Almost always these become ‘concept cars’. A styling exercise at the highest level. The cars look like they have come from Mars, have various futuristic and practical gadgets and high-end ingenuities which the design team of the respective car brand can truly admire… at least, that seems the purpose. Sometimes beautiful, often magnificent, but often filled with promise!

When Nynke and I spoke with Land Rover about the icon of Land Rover, the Defender, which now officially reaches pensionable age, everything that’s described above was exactly what we didn’t want. It should not become a stylistic exercise, no beautification, no gadgets, nothing futuristic.

We wanted a JOB Land Rover that’s here and now. A sculpture of today! It all got totally out of hand! The moment that black lady entered our workshop, inspiration started to flow out of our ears.

Haute Couture Car

One idea after another. This Land Rover had to cross the world of Studio Job, dig up her own past and also take with her the most exotic and conflicting elements on her freaky journey.

This Land Rover became a rolling cabinet of curiosities. The mysterious car that Doctor Snuggles always wanted to have. It’s the Queen’s car, but also the throne of a chieftain, and at the same time a mechanical rhinoceros, a freak show. An autonomous caricature for the leading part in a video by a leading pop star…

People, this Defender has become everything it could have become. Like a cubistic art piece with various perspectives. It is chaotic and bizarre as life itself. It certainly isn’t a stylistic exercise from the design bible, but definitely a rudimentary work of art, conjured from the high hat - also the controversial palette - of Studio Job. An anti-hero that anticipates itself. A diary and a mirror.

Job Smeets, Antwerp, April 2013

The making of Automobile, 2013

Studio Job Atelier, Netherlands

2012 - 2013

Capitol hubcap: bronze

Land Rover Defender

unfinished casted bronze and aluminum,

globe: Swarovski crystals

Sex Cake: wax nature form, candle

mudguard: wax nature form

bumper: polished bronze

unfinished casted bronze

high load tail gate: aluminum

back seat: wax nature form

stick out tongue: wax nature form

unfinished casted bronze and aluminum, lens

unfinished casted bronze and

aluminum, foam nature form

“Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. The Automotive is purely magical, made with Studio Job hand, heart and fantasy. Love It!”- David Holder, Maison Ladurée, Classic Car Collector, Paris 2015

Wallpaper Magazine, location: Weaving mill De Ploeg by Gerrit Rietveld

PRINTED BY VLISCO

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l’Afrique fabric 2013

wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco

120 x 550 cm (6-yards)

packaging: wood, wrapping paper, seal

Originally we developed the Vlisco fabric for the upholstering of the Land Rover Defender project. The iconic car exists 65 years and fi rst became popular as a functional transport on the African continent. Ambulances, taxi’s, fi re trucks and chief rides…you name it. Finally, off course it also became this fancy ‘voiture’ for parading Europeans. I remember well how the spoiled in my class were dropped by mummy at school, golf or hockey in a Defender…

Anyway: this project is, amongst others, a celebration of the African continent and we wanted to involve a producer who is specialised in serving Africa.

Vlisco is an old Dutch manufacturer (we mostly knew it because Nynke’s mum did her internship at Vlisco in the sixties) of wax printed fabrics that are sold as precious goods in Africa.You can compare it’s standard with brands ‘we’ worship:

Hermes or Gucci etc. The fabric is sold to posh African ladies in lengths of 6 yards. The cloth is often worn wrapped around the body… a true status symbol.

Next to abstract structures, these complex wax - prints often show fi gurative industrial symbols or icons coming from the west. Sometimes car parts like spark plugs but also electrical products like (a fan) or or logo’s of famous western brands. All to show off…

So, with our design for Vlisco, developed for the Land Rover (called ‘Automobile’) we turned the authentic iconography upside down and used african icons like tribal masks and jungle motives fraternised with industrial motives like a crankshaft and a speak plug.

Job Smeets, Antwerp, Summer 2013

l’Afrique

l’Afrique carpet 2013

printed saxony, festoon

PAN, Amsterdam

Moooi, Amsterdam

“When you don’t have guts, collaborate with Job. Loved it.”- Roger Gerards, Creative Director Vlisco,

Helmond 2015

Studio Job and Land Rover - sparks were bound to fly. Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel were invited to come up with a special version of the car to celebrate its 65th birthday. The result is a masterpiece, a summary of their whole oeuvre in all its layered facets.

Land Rover Defender has turned 65. That means this robust cross-country vehicle long ago passed the minimum age to qualify as an old-timer. In order to enhance the vehicle’s history and aura, Studio Job was asked to take this 4x4 in hand. A great car requires a great vision, which in this case carried a certain risk - after all, with Studio Job one never knows what to expect. In their own way, they have created an ode to the vehicle that makes many of us dream of adventures in distant Africa. Eventually, it has turned out to be more than simply a revised or pimped vehicle. The result is a sculpture that questions escapism, power relationships and above all Studio Job’s own work.

‘Designing a car is the same as when, as a designer, you’re sometimes given the chance to redefine a hotel: it’s a higher goal. You don’t get such important commissions every day,’ says Job Smeets, who, together with Nynke Tynagel, forms the duo behind Studio Job. ‘On top of that, Defender is an emotionally

Hotch-Potch on wheels

charged icon. On the one hand it’s the car that is used in Africa as an ambulance, taxi or agriculture machine; on the other hand it’s also the Chelsea Tractor that pampered ladies use to drop their children off at the hockey club. It’s used as a fire truck and it’s the queen of England’s favourite automobile. So, it’s a very diverse vehicle. We’ve approached that golden carriage in our own way, maybe not so much from the angle of this one car but rather from the phenomenon of the holy cow in general.’

It has become a pièce de résistance. The Land Rover has been submerged in a Studio Job ‘bath’, with all that this implies. Like a project that has got out of hand, the Land Rover has been dissected and interpreted, ridiculed and celebrated, laden with stories and adorned with a variety of materials. The motor has remained in place but driving the vehicle is anything but a comfortable experience. One of the four wheels has been replaced by a cartwheel; another wheel has been given a miniature version of the Capitol for its rim. A gigantic rhinoceros stands in all its glory like a golden phallus on the bonnet, and a headlight has been replaced by a candle that hardly gives any light in the dark. The seats have been upholstered in wax prints made by Vlisco, the brand that produces exclusive materials specifically for the African rich. The stained glass windows in turn display magic masks from remote tribes.

‘As you would expect from someone who knows nothing about making a car, our approach got completely out of hand,’ says Job Smeets. ‘The numerous elements kept accumulating. The car literally sticks its tongue out. It wants to be something that it actually isn’t. It’s become a great concoction, monumental and cynical. But isn’t that also true for power and class structures? Those are surely also inventions. A fictive status symbol that other people supposedly look up to. It’s also a nudge at designers who are asked to design a concept car and who then invent a stylish-looking apparatus that is launched with all the necessary bells and whistles. So we also take aim at the car industry: I can already imagine the chief sitting in this modern carriage, with the chauffeur in the front and his various wives and children in the back. A Popemobile for an African chief, personalised in a bizarre way.’

It is either an extremely layered or a completely failed project that can be interpreted in different ways: as a pamphlet against outward appearance, as an ode to a holy cow, as a painful joke or as a rather unsubtle protest. But besides this layered approach and the humour, the most captivating storyline is that of Studio Job itself. Even though they keep their cards close to their chest, this sculpture is at the same time a parody of their own work. Apart from the many details that clearly breathe

the world of Studio Job, the sculpture has above all become a sampling of the many exclusive materials and monumental techniques that Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel have used during recent years. It is a narrative hotch-potch on four wheels, from bronze, wood and crystal to textiles, ceramics and stained glass. Studio Job have again shown that they are masters in the use of all these materials, expressed in the most varied shapes. In their unique way, they know the power of the materials and how to combine them in a completely idiosyncratic manner in this single sculpture.

What a perfect way to celebrate Land Rover’s 65th birthday!

Dieter van den Storm, Brussels, September 2013BOZAR museum, Brussels

Automobile, November 2013

300 x 520 x 290 cm

Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris

sirens: hand blown glass, aluminum

fuel barrel: oak wood, steel, handpaintings

l’Afrique windows: polychrome stained glass

mudguard: silver plated aluminum, handpaintings

colloseum hubcap: aluminum, patinated bronze

exhaust flame: aluminum, hand paintings

mud flap holders: polished bronze

l’Afrique mud flaps: rubber

Automobile display: patinated and polished bronze, gilding

“The Defender is a sculpture in its own right, strongly influencing the artists own culture and humour. Using this as a starting point Studio Job have so brilliantly embraced their artistic ‘raison d’être’.

The refined use of noble materials contrasts beautifully with the design of this powerful and iconic machine to create, without a doubt, one of Studio Job’s masterpieces”

Studio Job Gallery, Antwerp

stick out tongue: aluminum, coating

bronze bull bumper: polished and patinated bronze

charm chain: casted aluminum, polished bronze

rhino hood horn: casted aluminum, 24K gilding

- Loic Le Gaillard, Founder Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London 2014

Piece for Peace, 2010

head lights: polished and patinated bronze,

hand blown polychrome glass

flag pole Zimbabwe: casted aluminum, hand paintings

globe: Swarovski crystals

drive and pulley system: aluminum, polished bronze, leather

coach wheel: casted aluminum, coating, polished bronze

mudguard: patinated bronze

Capitol hubcap: patinated and polished bronze, gilding

flag pole Congo: aluminum, hand paintings

mudguard: patinated bronze

exhaust pipe: patinated and polished bronze

door handle: polished and patinated bronze,

silver leaf, handpainted faience, mechanism honk: polished aluminum, polished and patinated bronze, rubber

Studio Job Gallery, Antwerp 2014

door mirror: polished bronze, Swarovski crystals, facet cut mirror door mirror: aluminum, silver leaf, polished bronze

fuel system (hose, trumpet, meat grinder):

polished bronze, aluminum, hand paintings, silver leaf door mirror: polished and patinated bronze, aluminum, silver leaf

Robber Baron Clock, 2007

Still Life Gold, 2004

front seats: wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco

headrest: polished and patinated bronze, gilding

door: aluminum, handpaintings, gilding, silver leaf

dash board (sand timer, grip, gear shift, thermometer, compass, leveler, mono radio):

polished and patinated bronze, aluminum, silver leaf, gilding

l’Afrique windows: polychrome stained glass

crate: aluminum, silver leaf, Duvel beer

steering wheel: polished and patinated bronze, aluminum

clock: polished and patinated bronze, clock work

dash board (sand timer, grip, gear shift, thermometer, compass, leveler,

mono radio): polished and patinated bronze, aluminum, silver leaf, gilding

spare wheel and suspension: aluminum, silver leaf, polished bronze

high load imperial: mixed media, handpainted aluminum

seats: wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco

floor boards: French oak

Automobile campaign image Nynke Tynagel & Job Smeets

I’ve known Studio Job for a long time and admire the way in which they can transform an object into an icon. As the Land Rover Defender celebrates its 65 anniversary this year, and production will be discontinued in the near future, this was the perfect opportunity to pay hommage to the Defender. We didn’t want to pose any limitations on the design, as this is an impression by the artist. The only condition we had, was that the Defender should remain driveable. It really has turned into a new icon that’s clearly a Studio Job artwork, but that’s also unmistakeably a Land Rover Defender. A fitting tribute to the Defender.Earlier this year, Studio Job created CAR, an exclusive ornament made in a limited edition, that was inspired by the unique design of the Range Rover Evoque.

Marc Bienemann, General Manager Jaguar Land Rover Benelux November, 2014

Studio Job

Robber Baron Cabinet 2006 - 2007

polished and patinated bronze, 24K gilding

175 x 120 x 50 cm

Groninger Museum, Groningen

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Moss, New York

Big Ben / Aftermath 2009 - 2014

polished and patined bronze, aluminum, brass, 24K gilding, silver leaf, hand paintings,

hand blown glass, Westminster clock works and gong, LED fittings, steel construction,

polished verde Guatemala marble

240 x 80 x 80 cm

Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris

Colofon

This book is published on the occasion of the 65th birthday of

the Land Rover Defender and the sculpture Automobile that

Studio Job created.

Creative direction by Studio Job

Photography by Louis Blom, Loek Blonk, Robert Kot,

Adrien Millot, Rahi Rezvani, Sylvia Zijlmans, Zero40

Post production Loek Blonk

Design by Opera Graphic Design

Editing by Valentijn Braam, Marty Schoutsen,

Job Smeets, Maarten Statius Muller, Kathelijn Voets

Printing by NPN drukkers

Studio Job and Jaguar Land Rover Netherlands would like to thank:

Art Abu Dhabi, Mirte van Beusekom, Willemijn Beuzekom,

Marc Bienemann, Mel Bouman, Joop Bource, Valentijn Braam,

Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Colorline, Maik Colsters, Wesley Didden,

Joris Dieleman, Marie Louise Filippini, Loic Le Gaillard,

Inge van Genuchten, Roger Gerards, Dave Hakkens, David Holder,

André van Hees, Constant van der Heijden, Ton Homburg, Yildiz Hoolwerf,

Jan van der Horst, Paul Hustinx, Andy Kemner, Boudewijn Kemner,

Noud Kemner, Jeroen Knitel, Julien Lombrail, Werner Neumann,

Frederique van Oirschot, Opera Graphic Design, PAN Amsterdam,

Jantine van Peski, Marty Schoutsen, Marco Simoni, Job Smeets,

Johan Smeets, Yvon Smeets, Thom Snoeren, Maarten Statius Muller,

Madelon Strijbos, Studio Job Atelier, Studio Job Gallery, Nynke Tynagel,

Martien Valentijn, Dieter Vanderstorm, Nico Verbart, Vlisco,

Kathelijn Voets, Bas van der Wal, Wallpaper Magazine, Viktor & Rolf,

Pim Wetzels, Lennart Zuydervelt.

www.landroverbystudiojob.com

Chartres / Aftermath 2009 - 2012

polished and patinated bronze, 24K gilding

170 x 102 x 55 cm

Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris,

Design Miami, Basel

Burj Khalifa 2013 - 2014

polished and patined bronze, casted aluminum, 24K gilding, silver leaf,

Swarovski crystals, mechanical Hermle clock work, faux marbre,

hand paintings, hand blown glass, LED fittings, electro motors

300 x 100 x 100 cm

Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris

Design Miami, Miami