An interview with Benja Harney, an amazing Australian paper artist

When did you begin turning paper into art?
I started to construct out of paper when I was very young. My father is an engineer, so my brother and I used to make lots of plastic and paper models with his help. We also made paper planes and origami – we were always creating things with our hands!



I used to make little space ships for my Star Wars figures. The first paper object I remember creating was a hang-glider out of paper and satay skewers. I forgot all about those days for a long time and was only reunited with my paper construction skills when I studied graphic design years later. My mother was also an author, so we always had lots of pop-up books on our shelves growing up. I suppose the enchantment began there.



What’s the most strangest or most striking paper commission you’ve had to make?
Pop-up books are usually surrounded with a bit of ‘magic’; people often think it’s a strange profession. I think the most striking commission I've done was the pop-up book I recently created for a fashion magazine. I was commissioned to produce a one-off bespoke pop-up and given quite detailed but unrestricted guidelines.



It was a tight deadline and it almost killed me, but what I created was the most beautiful thing I've ever made. The client was over the moon and needless to say I was very proud of the achievement.

Do you find you’re constantly making things out of newspapers and magazines and what is around?(And is it safe to leave you in a newsagent?)
I tend to use the same kind of paper whenever I make things. I have a particular brand of card that is perfect for what I do. You can print beautifully on it if you need to and it has the robust properties for pop-ups or paper sculpture, while retaining a great delicacy at the same time.



I normally like to work with white – I find joy in the purity of white on white – but I recently finished a commission where I had to use brightly coloured card to create some paper food. I really enjoyed working with the block colour and I think I'll start to work with that more in the future.



I would also like to start working with more 'futuristic' papers. I have some samples in my studio that are almost like cloth. They inspire me. But in truth, I'll make anything with anything. I love a technical challenge!



Tell me about some of the paper artists that you like?
The first paper artist that blew me away was Thomas Demand. He makes whole sets out of paper and then photographs them. For example, he will make a whole office scene complete with walls, floors, lights, photocopiers and computers. It looks real until you look deeper and start to see his genius. Completely mind-blowing stuff and well worth investigating.



Another artist is a British guy called Richard Sweeney. He makes beautiful technical forms, kind of like organic sculptures and very 'now' in feeling.

I think my biggest inspirations would have to be Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart, both are from New York and make pop-up books for a living. What they create – you can’t help but look at in wonder. I hope to go and study under them one day.

I'm inspired by the thought that I could create pop-up books for a living myself one day.



How hard is it to push the limits of paper (and do you find that you end up with lots of paper cuts or a paper trail around your studio)?
Paper is a great challenge and a complete inspiration. Some days, I pinch myself when I think how lucky I am to have found my love for paper.

Paper is so humble; we use it every day but people rarely tend to look beyond its static state. It is a delicate material, but it can become a medium of great strength and expression. I always try to push myself when ever I make something new – otherwise I'm not learning.



Paper engineering is a very messy profession. Shards go everywhere! I used to work from the office in my home, but I've been working from a studio for the last six months and it’s great because I can just close the door on all the mess when I leave. It makes the whole process so much more enjoyable.



You’ve done a lot of magazine/advertising commissions but what kind of paper art do you like to make for yourself?
I have a couple of personal projects on the boil. I find inspiration in things from the past: I love antiques and old curiosities, I’m a real collector. I love the technical challenge of pop-up books. This is what I’m focusing my energies on at the moment.



What is coming up for you and where can people see your art? And is there something you’ve always wanted to make out of paper that you’ve yet to crack?
My biggest goal at the moment is to get some work published in a book. It would give me the biggest thrill to know that people are enjoying my creations out in the wide world.



I have also been creating bits and bobs for an exhibition for the end of the year. It doesn’t really have a theme at this point, but a close friend at my studio has discussed doing something together, which has really sparked my imagination.

I suppose I want to keep pushing myself. I want to work in mass production and on a boutique scale; for my clients and for myself. There is so much I want to achieve and I really want to take the idea of paper and its potential applications as far as I can.



At the end of the day, if I can be self sufficient creating things with paper, then I will be happy.

As far as what’s yet to crack, hmmm, definitely a pop-up book in print and maybe paper furniture??

To find out more about Benja's work, have a look here and here

Lee Tran, deputy chief sub-editor