After leaving advertising to dedicate himself to tapestry, Alex became one of the most relevant names in the segment. The decision was part of an individual process, which in his own words came after understanding "the need for a better quality of life, linked to solitude, manual work and contemplation."
In our latest chat, Alex Rocca (@__alexrocca) shared his rituals for a creative break, and favorite activities to keep the inspiration alive.
What are your inspirations and references?
I spent 4 years at a film school and 10 years acting in the field, watching films, studying schools and filmmakers, so it is evident that this ends up reflecting in my work. Two years ago, I became part of a group of artists that instigated my mind to also go elsewhere, and helped me to see myself as a designer and artist. In this process, I understood that my work went beyond design.
Also, I'm a black man. I didn't go through financial difficulties, but I have this place of being a black artist in Brazil, and my works have always talked about territory and belonging. This is a very strong poetry of mine. Now, more and more I study issues that connect with my history and ancestry, such as repetitions of fractals and African architecture.
I am a person who likes solitude, in the sense of working alone, doing, contemplating, looking.
How much time do you dedicate to this? Is there a routine?
Yes, I create a routine. I wake up early, so the first two hours of my day are devoted to online tasks like email. As I also spend a lot of time on my feet, I take the opportunity to exercise twice a day. I prefer to study right away when I get back from physical activity, I usually spend about two hours a day reading and collecting references. I really work at least eight hours a day, that's standard practice.
What are your favorite rituals on a creative break? When you stop to be inspired, is there anything you like to do?
I like playing cards, cooking, watching series. I see everything as a process, so these activities also end up contributing to the development of my work.
What is your vision for the future, what can we expect from you in the coming years?
I want to look at my work more and more as art, something unique. I can industrialize a design, but that's not my main job — I want to experiment more and more.
I know we have this expectation of always doing something, but I also appreciate the time for the seeds to germinate. Thus, I also avoid the wear and tear that people are seeing my work too much. That's why I'm happy to be able to place the works on other supports: tiles, clothes, etc. I believe this gives a much-needed breather.
How to find a unique space in the creative market?
I think it's important to say that things have to be. I like to talk about that, especially the tapestry. A lot of people are doing it, but at the same time I also feel that we need to be calm, because many people come to me and say "oh, I want to make tapestry, where can I buy it?", but maybe the person doesn't really want to do it. She saw it, thought it was cool, and wants to do it because it's cool.
I think we have to seek our truth above all else. My work, for example, has resulted and it works because I put truth into it. I didn't take someone else's dream and design it here, it's my dream coming true. This is important, it's difficult, but I think we have to go after our place, even more so in the area of design and art, which is very easy to copy.
Everything flows when you find your place and you don't look away. What I do today, I have references and people I like, but I don't look at artists, because that creates anxiety. It is a process in which we end up looking at certain things and reproducing them unconsciously.
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Photographs by Brenda Pontes © All rights reserved.
To learn more, visit www.alexroccadesign.com
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