That Paper Joint was born out of what co-founders Zoe Crook and Max Malone describe as a ‘difficult but beautiful’ period. During the pandemic, Max’s work in hospitality and commercial design work disappeared, while Zoe’s late father was sadly diagnosed with cancer. The pair flew over to Western Australia to be with her family, and ended up staying for a year due to Melbourne’s lockdowns – but it was also during this time that they stumbled across the inspiration for their new creative endeavour.
‘One day we were sat having a coffee in Geraldton (where I’m from) and across the road was a pink building called the ‘Scrapbook House’, dedicated to scrapbooking supplies and workshops and Max said to me ‘I want to do that but for collage when we go back to Melbourne,’ Zoe explains.
‘And I thought to myself, well if a scrap book house can survive in regional WA, then surely a collage place could survive in Melbourne!’
As experienced artists and designers, Max and Zoe summoned the courage to start their own space that celebrates the magic and fun of collage, eventually moving into their new space in May 2021.
‘Looking back, I’ve always dreamed of having a home-studio; a place to merge work and play, in a custom-built environment, where my passion for collage can also be shared socially with others,’ Max explains.
This dream comes to life in The Paper Studio HQ in so many ways. Walls are lined with old magazines, collage materials, framed artworks, supplies, and vintage or op-shop toys and treasures. ‘It’s like the ‘I spy’ book but come to life! We often have to give people a few minutes to take the space in as there’s so much to look at!’ Zoe adds.
So far, the duo have focused on their in-person workshops, guiding groups through the process of using found and second-hand materials, which the pair have sourced over the years, to create new works of art. They run regular regular weekly public sessions and private events, but also have plans to run more events, group shows and other craft activities in the near future. And this is all on top of their work as a creative studio offering art and graphic design services!
‘As much as we can, we want to use secondhand wherever possible,’ Max says.
‘It’s a great challenge to take ordinary [or] unremarkable things and transform them into something interesting and new. We feel collage extends beyond the simple act of gluing paper together, for us, it’s also a mentality to think about how discarded items can be reused, repurposed and reimagined.’
Learn more at That Paper Joint’s website, and visit their space at 544 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
