Joey Benton studied sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). It was a formative period marked by a deep engagement with material and form, and he is still enthralled by the process of transforming ideas into objects. “If the emotional gestalt is intact, then the work has a voice from the beginning and becomes part of the conversation to its own completion,” he notes.
After graduation, Benton honed his skills in metal casting, and eventually joined the Judd Foundation. He committed to a one-year contract to organize and oversee the appraisal of artist Donald Judd’s estate inventory. That initial position evolved into a three-year tenure as assistant director.
Joey Benton \\\ Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
When his stint at the foundation came to a close Benton was finally ready to launch his own creative enterprise, and in 1997 he founded SILLA. Based in the Chihuahuan Desert of Marfa, Texas, the studio is rooted in site-specific design that functions across a wide range of practices, including furniture design, select commercial construction, and even adobe restoration.
The constraints of working in a remote location with limited access to conventional materials and infrastructure has fostered a resourceful, hands-on approach that continues to define the studio’s output. Distinct pieces are characterized by inventiveness, clarity, and a commitment to place.
Yet even with an abundance of ideas, Benton doesn’t sketch any concepts or write them down in a notebook for future reference. “They’re personal, and I don’t talk about them – they’re secrets,” he says. “They float in and out, and hopefully the good ones stay and find a way into the real world.”
Today, Joey Benton joins us for Friday Five!
Photo: Joey Benton
1. The End of Grain Material Transportation
I spend a lot of time driving long distances. The end grain of stacked materials, framed by the sky and the road is very attractive as a found work of art.
Photo: Joey Benton
2. Plastered Walls
Plastered walls always feel perfect to me. It’s one of the oldest building systems, and it never gets too far from its beginning as a protective coating. It reinvents itself in new materials and the collective knowledge, as well as the hands of the maestros, but its function remains. This wall is from 1940 and was built as the entrance wall to the cemetery in Balmorhea, Texas, located about 58 miles northeast of Marfa.
Photo: Joey Benton
3. Nature Obscuring a Line of Architecture
I love the tension, all of the intentions and the reminder that nature wins, always. I am attracted to ruins for this same reason.
Photo: Joey Benton
4. Long Distance Horizon Views
A long view into an uninhabited landscape is by far my favorite thing. The most peaceful and calm moments I have felt have been sitting and looking at the vast expanse of undeveloped land. The less of a human scar the better. Like the night sky or the ocean, it is unquestionable in its perfection.
Photo: Joey Benton
5. A Meal
I’ve been cooking meals for people I love since I was ten years old. It’s a big part of my life and my relationships, with both people and creativity. It has an ease and a comfort that feels completely separate from work.
Works by Joey Benton and SILLA:
Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
Crowley House
This was a true collaboration with the owner, Tim Crowley. No drawings were done for the construction of the remodel. Decisions were made standing in the space, marking walls and floors with tape, etc. Work began at the same moment an idea was agreed upon. Built-ins and free-standing objects, materials and details came out of a process that remained fluid.
Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
Dixon Water Bench
In 2010, SILLA designed and built a concrete bench for the Dixon Water Foundation. The bench is located on the overlook trail of Mimm’s Ranch, with a 360-degree view of the local grasslands and mountains. The gap that separates the two halves conforms to invisible lines – one based on true north, the other magnetic north – that cross at the center of the work and determine the width and angle of the openings at each side, which serve as entrances and exits.
Photo: Hannah Gentiles, courtesy of SILLA
Conduit Chair
The base/legs of the Conduit Chair were conceived as full 10’ pieces bent to create the structure and feel of the chair. Leaving the total available length of the material intact was an imposed design that acknowledged the origin of the material. Finding the number of bends and angles to meet the function and aesthetics, is the final chair. The seat and back frames are rectangles with offset kicks. The chair comes together as a series of intersections and parallels between these four pieces. A textile sling hangs on this frame to make up the seat and back of the chair. Mahogany armrests, and bronze caps finish out the details.
Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
Flip Flop Chair
The Flip-Flop chair was a one-off study built in 2005 out of Mahogany.
Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
SILLA Sandals
Square cut flats with single panel or criss cross foot strap, on a folded leather sole with a yoga mat center and vegetable tanned leather. SILLA sandals started with a question of what to do with leftover cuttings of leather used in our furniture. They evolved into shoes for family and friends. We did a small run of two designs for Levis – the “Ned” and the “Jesús” – in 2009. We have continued to make these sandals in small batches over the years.
Photo: Hannah Gentiles, courtesy of SILLA
Pine Chair
The Pine Chair is a full-scale practical chair pushed and critiqued into its final version, moving through seven iterations since the idea was conceived in 2016. It is constructed from Radiata Pine with Douglas Fir wood nails, using traditional mortise and tenon joinery.
Photo: Courtesy of SILLA
San José Chair
The San Jose Chair, originally designed in 2008 for the San José Hotel in Austin, Texas. SILLA has created a limited edition of 300 chairs available for purchase through our website. The frame of this chair is hot dipped galvanized steel, the seats and backs are Honduran mahogany upholstered in saddle leather. This is an indoor/outdoor dining chair that will patina over time to a rich warm leather finish and a dull mat galvanized spangle.
