To get home after a long day at work, to leave the house again, to have dinner with friends or to pack our bags for a long journey. We move between places and spaces, between objects and from person to person. This is an essential element of being a living being on this earth. Most living beings are journeying.

Birds fly from one place to another. Fish cross the oceans in search of food and shelter. And even trees, though standing firm, leave their leaves behind, carried by the wind as they prepare for a new season. So do we. Preparing ourselves for other seasons, we embark on new adventures and leave places in the seek for another opportunity, or in the wish to find a new home.

And on our journey we take with us and gather around us, objects and stuff we care about. As long as we can remember people have made stuff and have a magic relation to the stuff they make.

It’s a crucial part of our human condition. We make stuff for various reasons and for different purposes. We use all kinds of techniques and tools, which requires knowledge, training and skills. We carve and cut from stone, wood or other materials. We sculpt from clay, mud or stone, we weld from iron, copper and bronze, we weave from plants and trees, we season with herbs and plants and we paint with pigments.

At AYYAANA Retail, these extensions of human expression are at the heart of what we do and we want to celebrate them. Because we believe that beautiful objects simply make our lives a little more beautiful.

Our retail shops exist out the following 3 categories:

dream & play

A reason why we make stuff could be found in our ability to dream. We dream of the future and poses the ability to manifest those into reality. Objects help us to manifest our dreams, they function as a reminder that we can achieve remarkable things and that it matters to keep on going, to keep hope that things can be different. 

And we make stuff because we play. We play to learn or for pure excitement and fun. By playing, we learn things which are important to survive, we learn what is needed in social interactions in a playful manner, to acquire new skills for things we never did before or for the simple reason that we love to be in the here and now.

care & relate

We make stuff for various reasons - but one obvious one is that we relate and care deeply about other people, ourselves, objects and our surroundings. Stuff helps us in doing so, in keeping a connection with the people, the places or the things we value.

remember & celebrate

Stuff also helps us to remember moments or places we cherish and appreciate. They function as reminders or references to things or situations from the past and present or allow us to pause and to reflect and celebrate moments of joy or to commence moments of grief. They help us to communicate and channel our emotions to others or to our ourselves.