Jo Stenuit, Mazda’s European Design Director, arrives in Venice to discover the intrinsic relationship between art and automotive design.

You could be forgiven for thinking that, from a design perspective at least, Jo Stenuit, Mazda’s European Design Director, would be a hard man to impress. He is, after all, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art who has spent over two decades working both in Europe and at Mazda’s global headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan, and has created the marque’s global design language – known today as the Kodo: Soul of Motion design philosophy. And yet, as we sit down for our interview, it’s safe to say that Homo Faber 2024 – the Venetian celebration of contemporary craftsmanship – has had a profound impact on him.

A perfect fit, then, for Mazda, which brought its Japanese craftsmanship and design philosophies to life through globe-making and bookbinding workshops. These were accompanied by a raft of curated artefacts designed to showcase the artisanal skills evident in every Mazda vehicle and made by craftspeople featured in the #MazdaDiscovers online series. In fact, the only thing missing from the Mazda exhibition was an actual Mazda. “Even our logo was very subtle,” the design director smiles. “It meant we could concentrate on the brand and the craftsmanship, and not focus on cars. Plus, everything we saw was a one-off, whereas a car is mass-produced, so a sculpture represented Mazda best.”

Zoom-Zoom: Mazda was the only automotive brand at the event. Did the audience immediately understand the connection between car and art?

Jo Stenuit: For the past 15 years, we have been telling a story about craftsmanship through Kodo design language, and yet people still don’t really know about our car design process. They are surprised to discover that, in this digital age, we still use clay models and rely on physical tools and the passion of our modellers.

“In this digital age, we still use clay models and rely on physical tools and the passion of our modellers.”

ZZ: And yet Mazda is always innovating…
JS: Exactly. In the car world, everyone knows us now and knows that we make beautiful vehicles. That’s a huge achievement. We managed to create a design language that’s appreciated around the world. It’s a language of beauty, which everybody understands. It’s a very human thing. So we make beautiful objects that are understandable on a global scale. And it sounds easy, but it isn’t.

ZZ: As a designer, do you feel there’s a natural bond between yourself and the Homo Faber artisans?
JS: Of course. Talking to the craftsmen here is very easy, even if they do something completely different to me. The way we work is similar. There’s an instant connection. We kind of understand the occasional suffering we go through and the time we spend to make beautiful objects.

ZZ: The Mazda workshops seem to have been a particular highlight.
JS: I was proud of them. We’ve done workshops before, and they always work well. Everybody gets very excited and, of course, it’s fantastic for people to understand our cars just a bit more. The whole experience always gets better if you get more out of it. I’m sure they will go home thinking, ‘Wow, that was an amazing exhibition and experience’.

ZZ: It’s a great way of discovering the intricacies of craftsmanship.
JS: Especially with the globe-making workshop. I had a lot of respect for the globe-maker, Leonardo Frigo, because he has not just one skill but multiple skills. He makes the paper, he does the copper etching, he does all the research, and he makes the wooden structure for the globe. And then people could get their hands dirty understanding that process, discovering the tools and materials that are used, and realising the difficulty in doing things that look quite simple on the outside.

ZZ: What did you personally learn from Homo Faber?
JS: That there is still excitement about craftsmanship, and the way you present and explain it is very important. It’s the omotenashi approach, with a focus on the way that you invite people and make them feel welcome. As a storyteller for Mazda, I learned a lot. And I’m also even more confident that what we do at Mazda is right.

“At every stage, we want the people to feel good, to feel connected to the car.”

ZZ: So when you say Mazda, what do you want people to think?
JS: That we make beautiful, engaging cars that people really want to drive. It goes back to that wow factor we were talking about. Some cars, you see the exterior and say, ‘Wow’, then you open the door and you’re disappointed… you drive disappointed. Whereas at every stage we want people to feel good, to feel connected to the car, and for it to become a part of their lives.

ZZ: Finally, what do you think the world of design can learn from Mazda?
JS: Oh, everything! Don’t go left and right just to please someone. Be confident in what you do. And do it well, do it with love, and do it with passion. Keep believing.