AUTOMOBILE

Land Rover & Studio Job

AUTOMOBILE
Land Rover & Studio Job
Haute Couture Car
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.
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 Land Rover Defender
2012 - 2013 unfinished casted bronze and aluminum,
Capitol hubcap: bronze globe: Swarovski crystals
Sex Cake: wax nature form, candle unfinished casted bronze
mudguard: wax nature form high load tail gate: aluminum
bumper: polished bronze back seat: wax nature form
stick out tongue: wax nature form unfinished casted bronze and
unfinished casted bronze and aluminum, lens 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

l’Afrique AN
TEED REAL
DU
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Originally we developed the Vlisco fabric for the upholstering of Hermes or Gucci etc. The fabric is sold to posh African ladies in

SPECIAL
the Land Rover Defender project. The iconic car exists 65 years
and first became popular as a functional transport on the African
EDITION
lengths of 6 yards. The cloth is often worn wrapped around the
body… a true status symbol.
continent. Ambulances, taxi’s, fire trucks and chief rides…
you name it. Finally, off course it also became this fancy ‘voiture’ Next to abstract structures, these complex wax - prints often

A X B LO C
for parading Europeans. I remember well how the spoiled in show figurative industrial symbols or icons coming from the west.
my class were dropped by mummy at school, golf or hockey in Sometimes car parts like spark plugs but also electrical products

K
W

a Defender… like (a fan) or or logo’s of famous western brands. All to show

Anyway: this project is, amongst others, a celebration of the
PR
African continent and we wanted to involve a producer who
I NT
E D BY V L I S C
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:
off…
So, with our design for Vlisco, developed for the Land Rover
O
(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 fabric 2013

wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco
120 x 550 cm (6-yards)
packaging: wood, wrapping paper, seal
“When you don’t have guts,
collaborate with Job.
Loved it.”
- Roger Gerards, Creative Director Vlisco,
Helmond 2015

l’Afrique carpet 2013

printed saxony, festoon
PAN, Amsterdam
Moooi, Amsterdam
Hotch-Potch on wheels
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
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 the world of Studio Job, the sculpture has above all become
making a car, our approach got completely out of hand,’ says a sampling of the many exclusive materials and monumental
Job Smeets. ‘The numerous elements kept accumulating. The techniques that Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel have used
car literally sticks its tongue out. It wants to be something that it during recent years. It is a narrative hotch-potch on four wheels,
actually isn’t. It’s become a great concoction, monumental and from bronze, wood and crystal to textiles, ceramics and stained
cynical. But isn’t that also true for power and class structures? glass. Studio Job have again shown that they are masters in the
Those are surely also inventions. A fictive status symbol that use of all these materials, expressed in the most varied shapes.
other people supposedly look up to. It’s also a nudge at In their unique way, they know the power of the materials and
designers who are asked to design a concept car and who then how to combine them in a completely idiosyncratic manner in
invent a stylish-looking apparatus that is launched with all the this single sculpture.
necessary bells and whistles. So we also take aim at the car
industry: I can already imagine the chief sitting in this modern What a perfect way to celebrate Land Rover’s 65th birthday!
carriage, with the chauffeur in the front and his various wives
and children in the back. A Popemobile for an African chief, Dieter van den Storm, Brussels, September 2013
personalised in a bizarre way.’ BOZAR museum, Brussels
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
 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
Automobile, November 2013 exhaust flame: aluminum, hand paintings
300 x 520 x 290 cm mud flap holders: polished bronze
Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris 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”
- Loic Le Gaillard, Founder Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London 2014

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
Piece for Peace, 2010
 flag pole Zimbabwe: casted aluminum, hand paintings
head lights: polished and patinated bronze, globe: Swarovski crystals
hand blown polychrome glass drive and pulley system: aluminum, polished bronze, leather
 Capitol hubcap: patinated and polished bronze, gilding
flag pole Congo: aluminum, hand paintings
coach wheel: casted aluminum, coating, polished bronze mudguard: patinated bronze
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
 door: aluminum, handpaintings, gilding, silver leaf
front seats: wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco dash board (sand timer, grip, gear shift, thermometer, compass, leveler, mono radio):
headrest: polished and patinated bronze, gilding polished and patinated bronze, aluminum, silver leaf, gilding
l’Afrique windows: polychrome stained glass steering wheel: polished and patinated bronze, aluminum
crate: aluminum, silver leaf, Duvel beer clock: polished and patinated bronze, clock work
 spare wheel and suspension: aluminum, silver leaf, polished bronze
high load imperial: mixed media, handpainted aluminum
dash board (sand timer, grip, gear shift, thermometer, compass, leveler, seats: wax block print on 100% cotton, printed by Vlisco
mono radio): polished and patinated bronze, aluminum, silver leaf, gilding floor boards: French oak
Automobile campaign image Nynke Tynagel & Job Smeets
Studio Job

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

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, Chartres / Aftermath 2009 - 2012
Kathelijn Voets, Bas van der Wal, Wallpaper Magazine, Viktor & Rolf, polished and patinated bronze, 24K gilding
Pim Wetzels, Lennart Zuydervelt. 170 x 102 x 55 cm
Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London-Paris,
www.landroverbystudiojob.com 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