29/01/2024
BJD artist twigling confirms extended agreement with art studio BatAss&Co to continue producing Artifex Kindred in Spain
Collectors of ball-jointed dolls by Madrid-based sculptor Reese Olsen, best known under the brand name twigling, can look forward to inspiring new developments this year. Thanks to the intensive cooperation of Marcos Lorenzo’s art studio BatAss&Co, the duo can now disclose that they are in the final stages of completing all remaining backlogged orders for her Artifex Kindred line. Patient, if somewhat careworn buyers, have been waiting for their custom-made dolls since the doll artist was forced to end working relations with a previous manufacturer due to uncontrollable cost increases during spring of 2022. The new collaborative partnership anticipate finalising all open orders by March 2024.
“It’s been a challenging but also very rewarding journey to get to this point,” asserts Reese “but since working with Marcos, I’m confident my sculpts are in the best possible hands. If anything, the team are even more perfectionist than myself, and have shown unwavering determination in finding solutions to every issue that has surfaced,” she continues.
BatAss&Co have had to climb a steep learning curve to make ball-jointed dolls to the high standards that collectors expect. Each stage of the artisanal production process requires close attention to detail. Everyone on the team have extensive prior experience within design, fine arts and engineering, and possess technical skills and sensibilities to fulfil the brief. Even so, it’s been necessary to unlearn and rethink certain habits and assumptions along the way, and almost two years passed before Marcos and Reese are now ready to announce their long-term plans for cooperation and formally introduce BatAss&Co to the BJD collecting public.
“Up until now, we have been laser-focused on casting Reese’s work. Opting to work exclusively with her has allowed us to adapt to the specific requirements for the finished output, and develop methodologies that streamline the production process, reduce margins of error and increase capacity, all without compromising on quality,” affirms Marcos. (⬇️)
