Incorporating elements of origami and modelling, Peak District artist Joe Winstanley creates miniature landscapes out of paper - a process that embraces his creativity and supports his mental wellbeing

*Mam Tor, by Joe Winstanley of Studio Skai*

Joe, how did your paper sculptures of landscapes come about? What inspired the idea?

I’ve always had a deep passion for art and design. I dropped out of university while studying Criminology back in 2017, returned to the Peak District (my home) and became depressed. I began seeking a creative career, and started a clothing company inspired by the Peaks - combining my two loves, creativity and the Peak District. This venture didn’t work out but while developing some packaging I created what would become Skai’s first ever print.

The idea was to create a parcel that, once folded and crumpled, would resemble the hills of the Peak District. After playing around with some marketing concepts using this parcel design I noticed how effective it was an art form. Creating these paper hills was so good for my mental health and I soon realised there was something very special in the whole process. I’ve been doing this ever since - growing my art and my mental wellbeing.

When did you start using sculpted paper as your medium? Is it something you've done for a long time or did it evolve out of more traditional practice like photography?

Using paper as a medium started with my packaging concepts back in 2018. I never set out to use paper, it just naturally happened. After folding the first hill I was hooked. Using paper is very sensory – it has a sound and a feel to it. Everything I make starts out as a flat sheet of paper, so it’s very rewarding to see something come to life in my hands. I think, subconsciously, I began recreating landscapes out of paper as a way of controlling my surroundings; a coping mechanism for anxiety. There are also restraints with using paper, which I’m fond of. There are tears and bumps and folds I can’t predict, which results in nuances in my work.

It was your landscape prints that first caught our eye. What's your process for creating these?

These hills begin with exactly the same process every time. I score lines vertically and horizontally, then score diagonal lines that join the corners of these squares up. The result is a very mathematically precise grid. Once folded, the paper takes on a new form and can be shaped in many ways. The repetition of scoring these grids is very therapeutic for me and the structure is also a nod to the mathematics that can be found throughout nature. Although these hills could be digitally constructed with this pattern, there’s just nothing better than natural light hitting each little triangle of paper.

It looks as though you've been experimenting with Instagram to produce interactive prints. How did you go about that, and did it work well?

Yes, I’ve done three interactive prints now and they seem to work rather well. My first one started at the very start of the pandemic as a way to get people connecting to both art and nature so that everyone could help create a piece of art inspired by nature.

I launched a series of polls on Instagram Stories, asking about composition, types of paper, times of day, weather conditions and various details. The responses determined the result of the print. They’re just a fun way to challenge myself and find out what people want to see. The result is largely out of my control.

*Toad’s Mouth capsule by Joe Winstanley of Studio Skai*

How many capsules have you made? Do you have plans to make more?

In total I’ve made 20 capsules. The first 10 sold out in one day, which was amazing. They’re a fairly new venture but I absolutely love them. It's a way for me to create something physical that can be appreciated from every angle. People have really become fond of them.

They take a while to make so I can’t churn them out as such – but I think that’s what gives them charm. Each one is unique and a one-off and that’s special to be able to sell something like that.

I’m currently creating some commissioned capsules, which is where they get really unique and personal. I’m being approached to create people's memories, which is a great privilege. Skai is built on recreating memories of natural places in my life, so it’s great to be able to hear other people’s connections and memories.

What’s the strangest material you’ve used in your sculptures? (We saw you mentioned wet toilet roll in one Instagram post!)

Paper remains at the heart of every creation - it’s my paint brush, if you will. I do have plans to start using litter and plastic waste, maybe inside some sculptures or as the sculpture itself. Plastic and litter are a massive annoyance to me, and I think it would be quite poignant to create landscapes out of the stuff left in these places.

Looking through your projects, it appears as though you started big with landscapes and mountains, and have since focused in further and further on the tiny details, moving through your capsules and ending up with your tree studies, where you're experimenting with such intricate details as the translucent torn edges of hazel leaves. How deliberate has this progression from large to small been?

Skai has been constantly changing and developing and I think that’s largely a reflection of my personal growth. I started off folding big hills and mountains at a time when I was very anxious and depressed and as I’ve grown more stable and appreciative of life, my work has focussed more and more on the smaller details of the natural world. It hasn’t been a deliberate progression into the minute world of nature, but it’s helped me to realise that by taking a miniature glance of the world, it can help establish our place in it, that humans are NOT the most important thing. Insects and trees and fungi and birds are just as important and we need to respect that. Recreating nature and my surroundings out of paper is my way of appreciating it and empathising with it so I think whatever I’m creating at the time is what I’m appreciating at that moment.

I’ve treated the whole progression of Skai as a big exercise to the point where now I’m bringing together everything I’ve learned to be able to create whole scenes out of paper – mountains, foliage and creatures alike. To create art.

Are you still based in the Peak District? Do you have a favourite spot and season?

I grew up in a village called Hathersage. I’m now based in Sheffield but the Peak District and more specifically the Hope Valley will always be my home. I’m so grateful to have been brought up there. I love Bolehill Woods, which leads on to Padley Gorge. It’s such a peaceful place where I can just get lost in nature. But each place in the Peaks has its own charm and personality and is filled with lots of memories for me.

Autumn has to be my favourite season in the Peaks.

Interview: Joly Braime