Yoca Design by Yoav Caspi
Yoav Caspi is an architect, sculptor and academic. Yoav leads Yoca Design, a studio sculpting reliefs and lamps. Yoca draws inspiration from architectural practice, investigating landscapes and their inhabitants through reliefs. The lamps add another dimension to the sculpting studio through illumination.
In academia, Yoav’s research focuses on new fabrication techniques and materials that inform unique and sustainable designs. He is a senior lecturer at the Architectural Association and Kingston School of Art where he leads a design studio. Yoav holds an MArch with commendation from the Architectural Association and a Fellowship of Higher Education from Kingston University. His work has been exhibited internationally in London, Budapest and Jerusalem. / @yocadesign
Experience:Senior Lecturer at Kingston University and the Architectural Association, Architect at David Kohn Architects
Education:Architectural Association School of Architecture MArch (Commendation)
Designed by Yoca Design.
Presented as a quartet of sculpted tiles, Dancing Balconies delves into the intricate relationships between balconies - an architectural element that serves as a threshold between interior and exterior worlds. Drawing inspiration from the Zero Art Movement, Dancing Balconies translates architectural practice into a tactile exploration of form and rhythm.
Crafted from plaster, the smooth surface presents a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. The dynamic compositions suggest movement and interaction, almost as if the balconies are engaged in a dance. The use of clean lines and precise angles embodies the architectural discipline, while the interplay of light on the relief’s surface evokes the movement of time, as shadows shift and change throughout the day. Dancing Balconies is a limited edition of 16 reliefs. Each relief displays a different arrangement of the tiles and is therefore bespoke and unique.
The entire piece measures 42x28 cm with a 10 mm margin between the frame and a 20mm gap separating each tile. Each sculpted tile measures 19x12 cm. This careful arrangement emphasizes the individuality of each tile while highlighting their collective harmony. Dancing Balconies merges architecture and landscape, offering the viewer both an aesthetic experience and a conceptual reflection on the spaces we inhabit. The piece is available in various colours to suit different spaces.
Please allow for three weeks for production before the order is shipped.
Note that framing is not included in the original price. If you are interested in a framed artwork, please contact hello@gubns.co.
— Size (L x W x H): 42 x 28 x 2 cm
— Weight: 1.2 kg / 2.64 lb
— Materials: Plaster
Designed by Yoca Design.
Ora is a table lamp and a sculpture. When lit, Ora illuminates. During the day, Ora is a sculpture floating in space. This dynamic appearance offers exciting opportunities to style Ora in different ways. It can live as a bedside lamp, a table lamp in a living room or a desk lamp in an office.
The exclusive version presented by Gubns gallery limited to 10 table lamps features a heavy, light brown, hand-cast plater base that feels smooth to the touch. The plaster provides the perfect weight to anchor the Ora lamp, celebrating the juxtaposition between the delicate sculptural lampshade and the hard base material.
The lampshade is made from corn starch, a bioplastic material. This corn starch material is made from renewable resources. It uses 65% less energy than other virgin materials. The lampshade is crafted using 3D printing technology, a more sustainable fabrication technique that avoids material spills which occur in industrial process. Ora is also made in-house on demand. This reduces waste significantly.
The Ora table lamp comes with a brass rod and a high-cloth braided cable and a 22 bayonet, 250 lumens/2.9 watts, 2700k (warm white) temperature bulb. Please allow one week for production, before the order is shipped.
— Size (L x W x H): 33 x 10 x 10 cm
— Weight: 0.5 kg / 1.10 lb
— Materials: Plaster, Brass, Cornstarch
Designed by Yoca Design.
Flowing Centre composes one’s journey through an abstract landscape. Through this journey, the viewer is invited to investigate form and geometry through ambiguous scales. Flowing Centre is inspired by Noguchi’s visionary design for the ‘Contoured Playground’. The relief follows Noguchi's approach, investigating intricate relationships between architecture and landscape.
The relief is meticulously crafted from plaster. The fine-sanded surface achieves a smooth, tactile finish that invites close inspection. The use of clean lines and precise angles embodies the architectural discipline. The interplay of light on the relief’s surface evokes the movement of time, as shadows shift and change throughout the day. Flowing Centre is an exclusive edition of 10 reliefs. The boundary of the relief is irregular, echoing the unpredictable contours found in nature, making each iteration of Flowing Centre unique and bespoke. This deliberate choice reinforces the idea that the artwork is more than just an object but a piece of landscape.
Flowing Centre measures 38x30 cm and is available in various colours to suit different spaces. It is recommended to frame the relief with a 25-30 mm margin to enhance its presence. This spacing allows the piece to breathe and emphasizes its unique, irregular edges.
Please allow for three weeks for production, before the order is shipped.
Please note that framing is not included in the original price. If you are interested in a framed artwork, please contact hello@gubns.co.
— Size (L x W x H): 38 x 30 x 3 cm
— Weight: 2 kg / 4.40 lb
— Materials: Plaster
Designed by Yoca Design.
Mask 1 is part of the Masks series which delves into the complex symbolism of masks as vehicles of identity. In this series, Yoav Caspi who leads Yoca Design investigates masks in their capacity to celebrate cultural heritage and their role as shields behind which identities are hidden. Through this series, Yoav, a gay Jewish man with Persian ancestry, reflects on his personal experience of concealing his identity in a society that often demands conformity.
Sculpted from plaster, the relief's smooth surface underscores the purity of form with an interplay of light and shadow echoing the architectural precision that defines Yoav’s work. The sculpted composition is a delicate balance between abstract and figurative, capturing the essence of a mask without revealing a specific identity. This ambiguity invites viewers to contemplate the tension between visibility and invisibility, celebration, and concealment.
Mask 1 suggests growth, renewal, and perhaps the hope of emerging from behind the mask to embrace one’s identity. However, the mask remains a boundary, a barrier that reflects the artist’s ongoing negotiation with his identity. This duality between the mask as a celebratory object and as a tool of concealment underscores the work’s emotional depth.
Mask 1 measures 37x32 cm and is available in various colours to suit different spaces. The relief is an exclusive edition of 10 reliefs. Please note that the framing is not included in the original price. It is recommended to frame the relief with a 25-30mm margin to enhance its presence. This spacing allows the piece to breathe and emphasizes its unique edges.
Please allow three weeks for production, before order is shipped.
Note that framing is not included in the original price. If you are interested in a framed artwork, please contact hello@gubns.co.
— Size (L x W x H): 37 x 32 x 3 cm
— Weight: 1 kg / 2.20 lb
— Materials: Plaster