Pie Paper is an art and science publication put out by Simon Oosterdijk and Markus Hofko. They are based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. Simon Oosterdijk: I’m a designer based in Auckland, New Zealand. I publish the art meets science, non periodical, Pie Paper, with Markus Hofko.

I’m also collaborating with Sammy Rose Scapens, producing books under Sandwich Press and occasionally making small films and small objects, among other things. 

What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? I’m enjoying being a producer of things. Design is always commission based; you’re approached to solve someone’s problem, so it’s nice for a change to make something for the joy of it and release it into the world.

What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? One project I’m currently involved in is Art Directing my partner’s new fashion brand Eugénie.

It’s a nice counter point to Pie Paper, which is all about longer timeframes and more timeless ideas, but is very slow to output (1 issue per 1+ year). Where as fashion is very fast, new ranges, new seasons and lots of constant output. I’m enjoying the change in speed.

Who would you ideally like to collaborate with? Anyone outside of my field, any specialist that works science, technology or the arts that has passion for what they do and are looking for a different way of communicating that passion to the world. Any collaboration where you get a window into another world is always exciting and compelling. The more obscure and less I know about the world of the collaborator the more there is to learn and hopefully the fresher the response will be.

Tell us about your work process and how it develops. In regards to Pie Paper, Markus and I will define a certain area of research and see how rich it is for content and that will decide the theme of the issue. The first three issues were all informed by the preceding themes, starting with a very simple concept of “The Circle” for Issue #0.

Every issue is an evolution of the previous and is a constant work in progress, with formats and printing processes continually changing.

What do you want a viewer to walk away with after experiencing your work? We hope readers of Pie are ultimately entertained, and if they are inspired or learn something new, then that’s fantastic too.

What are you really excited about right now? I’ve been fascinated by the developments in digital fabrication for a while now. The possibility that almost any idea can be made into solid matter is hugely exciting. This will change our relationship to “things” in really interesting ways. How to imbue these new forms with a sense of an ‘aura’ is something I’m very interested in.

Any current or upcoming events that you are involved in that we should know about? We’re launching our new issue #5 The Food Issue this month.

This will also be the launch of another publication I’ve been working on, which is a collaboration with the poet Mike Johnston as well as the opening of our reading room with publications curated by myself and writer Sammy Rose Scapens.  

Describe your current studio or workspace. We’ve just moved into a new space which is exciting.

There’s retail space at the front which is my partner, Elizabeth Wilson’s womenswear label, Eugénie. This will also house the Read Room and some of my object experiments. I designed the fit out based on Space Centres and manufacturing facilities. 
We have a large workshop out the back that is both Liz’s workroom and my studio but is also where Sammy Rose and I publish small runs of books under Sandwich Press.