An Interview with Homa Studios founder Altarik Banks

Jonai Gibson-Selix

Who are you, and who is Homa Studios?

Altarik Banks

I’m Altarik Banks and I’m a designer, though some people do consider me a ceramicist, so I’mkind of beginning to embrace that. Homa Studios is a small studio that collaborates with the people and materials of our local community to create forms that bring warmth and beauty to the home space.

JGS

How were you first introduced to ceramics? And what about it made you move forward in relationship with it?

AB

I was introduced to ceramics through a 3D printing workshop while I was in undergrad at Montclair University. My first ceramic project was to create a mold with the 3D printer, and from there I created my first piece ever – a small, cup-like cylinder. So now my practice is based in subcasting. I have no idea how to use a ceramic wheel, or even hand-build.

JGS

With respect to your work in ceramics and design, what do you title yourself?

AB

Well, in addition to “designer” and “ceramicist,” I also consider myself a digital designer. I use a lot of digital design software to make all of my forms, like Fusion 360, Mesh Mixture, and other small-pocket softwares. I’m really just having fun with the computer – I start with a basic shape, like an oval, and then do a bunch of different techniques, like adding, subtracting, lofting, twisting, turning, pulling, and just…seeing where it leads me.

JGS

From there, what is your creative process?

AB

From there, I have to touch it. I’ll 3D print the design to hold and see the proportions or mistakes. I’ll print one design halfway through, and another design halfway through, and combine them. The printer may stop printing halfway through and I may test adding something to that. Sometimes our pieces emerge from the mistakes.

JGS

Tell me a bit about how sustainability is further integrated into your process.

AB

Being a small-business, we’re able to be intentional about managing waste and selecting materials. Part of our present process is reclaiming clay, and when some of the pieces that we cast don’t make the cut, we’re able to transform those scraps into something more experimental or simply reuse it. Most of all, we practice sustainability in our small acts: turning the lights off, using recycled cardboard for packaging, and so on. The small acts shouldn’t be overlooked.

JGS

Some of my favorite pieces are the Lotus Vases and the Trio Vase. They remind me of grand public sculptures created solely for our viewing pleasure, but you’ve scaled them down for us to have, to hold, and to use. What inspires your forms? And how do you ensure that they’re functional?

AB

Homa’s design language is smooth, soft, and subtle and it takes from my appreciation for well-crafted objects in the spaces around me. Our objects are mostly derivative of our existing forms. For instance, our first piece ever was the Local Cup and has since evolved into our Ampersand Vase and our Sailor Gravy Boat, simply with some stacking, twisting, and slicing in the digital software. It creates a family.

JGS

I’ve noticed that your pieces are named and described to have an intended use (i.e. Local Cup as drinking cup), but have functioned in the world as something else (i.e. Local cup as planter). What is the life you intend for your pieces as you are making and naming them?

AB

I often just describe our pieces as vessels – as something that holds something – because as a designer, it’s often that we design something for an intended use and it’s used in completely different way in the world. I’ve seen our wine carafe used as a vase, and the Local Cup used as a pencil holder. I think it’s really beautiful. I love to see all the different possibilities and ways that people use their vessels.

JGS

How do you feel Homa fits into or diverges from the larger canon of ceramics?

AB

Ceramics is one of the oldest art practices, and people are really traditional about it, meaning they value pieces that are hand-crafted and visibly imperfect, but at Homa, we embrace a really clean aesthetic. I believe we blur the lines between hand-crafted and clean, because our pieces are still touched by the human hand – we do slip, casting and molding, remove seams, and wipe them down – but we also ensure a smooth, clean look and feel.

JGS

As more and more makers are integrating tech into their practice, how do you see the craft of ceramics evolving in the future?

AB

That’s a really big question! Creatively, I see people taking a more experimental approach withthe medium, like integrating new tools and materials. I’m currently using 3D technology, but what could ceramics be with 4D tech? In terms of business, I see traditional ceramics slowly falling away. The wheel requires so much time and energy, and produces one object at a time. It’s really difficult to make it profitable.

JGS

What more do we have to look forward to from Homa Studios?

AB

Homa finally has its first headquarters that we’ll be moving to in the fall! It’ll be like a showroom where we’ll invite buyers, interior designers, and shoppers. We’re also moving towards designing small furniture pieces, such as stools, side tables, lamps, and floor vases.

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Well-known for their use of clay sourced directly from their local land at Toney’s Brook, Homa Studios is expanding into a multi-media studio that will experiment with wood, glass, and other mediums that also hold ties to the local community. As Homa moves from tabletop to building their own table and all of the objects around it, the elegance of our homes will soon elevate right along with them!

Jonai Gibson-Selix is a multi-hyphenate designer from Philly – so Philly that Questlove gave her a shoutout at her college graduation. From art direction to public art, she uses design as a tool to shape a just present and future for local communities and global Brands. And when she feels like nerding out, she writes about design, too.