Toys With Stories: An Interview With Daniel Goffin

It often takes a single moment to grow from casually following someone’s art to being a full-fledged fan. In the case of Daniel Goffin, this change came in the form of a short article he wrote for his Reduced Figuration blog on the topic of toys without stories. The Germany-based artist wrote: “I have bought toys just for the visual appeal, but a lot of times knowing a story (one that I couldn’t have thought of myself) makes a sculpture so much more interesting.” The timing of this commentary was right. An influx of toys without context (and often, also, without good design) was crowding the scene. Enter Daniel Goffin’s Netzwerk: a series of original characters as complex in concept as they are in form. Alongside artists like Bob Conge, Carlos Enriquez Gonzales, Cris Rose,  Mike Slobot, Sergey Safonov (and a handful of others), Daniel spins stories that include not only fantastic hand-made 3D sculptures, but also: a world in which they live.

Recently, Daniel visited the world in which I live:  San Francisco. We ate, watched a film and traversed a landscape where art and technology intersect. Still shy of 30, Daniel is a well-traveled and well-spoken guy. I enjoyed his conversation as much as his artwork. We chatted about toys, art, money, inspiration, technology, music, stories and Rube Goldberg. This interview barely breaks the surface.

Tell us about your art background and when you began working in 3D toy art?

I studied illustration and comics at the School of Art and Design in Kassel, Germany. Every once in a while, I would sculpt something. In late 2005, a friend got me into vinyl toys, and that was basically the start of my career in toy art. Most of my early castings were failures. I can remember working on a sculpt of this character in early 2006.  It’s weird how close the symbols in the speech bubbles are to Japanese kana. Back then I didn’t do any research and just made these up…

Speaking of Japan, you spent some time in Kyoto studying manga. How is manga an influence on your work?

I don’t see manga as a bigger influence than European and American comics. However, artists like Kuniyoshi are a big influence–more so than some of the contemporary artists. It’s the general Japanese sense of design, narrative and philosophical approaches that fascinates me. The culture itself is inspiring. For example Takashi Murakami’s thoughts on art and commercialism is something I find very interesting. This is a topic with which comics, toy and pop art have always struggled.

Kyoto Station Skywalk, photo by Daniel Goffin

What are some subjects (for instance, I know you like wacky anime) besides toys that go through your mind when you make toys?

Yes, wacky anime with robots, monsters and beautiful girls… I like things that make me think and that arouse my curiosity. I have always been inspired by science-fiction. Reading books like Accelerando by Charles Stross, Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds or Karl Schroeder’s Lady Of Mazes are just a fraction of what gets me into the mood of wanting to design a new character. I also love to read blogs and websites about our society and its evolution. For example, Dana Boyd’s thoughts and work have had a big influence on my work. Another subject I find highly inspiring is fashion and fashion design. Nick Knight’s editorial photography usually sets my mind ablaze with many new ideas. Since my toys are visualizations of people that live in a fictional future universe, I try to give them a distinct personality. That’s the reason why my sculptures are all very different in their shapes and appearance.

I know that some of your figures require 7+ pieces. Walk us through what it takes to make Brent Sparr?

Having so many pieces is a necessity when creating complex sculptures. Then again, having a separate piece is sometimes desirable from a design point of view because some undercuts are visually a lot more appealing if they are real as opposed to sculpted. (Japanese garage kit sculptors are masters in this regard.) I usually start sculpting the whole sculpture in one piece as it gives me control and insight of the overall pose and dynamic that I want to achieve. Once the sculpt is more or less finished, I take it apart at the joints. After that, I start the molding. Most molds are two-piece molds. [Editor's note: Here's a look at Brent Sparr.]

Depending on the complexity, a mold sometimes requires serious brain acrobatics as is evident with my Maneki Tora sculpture (above). After making the mold comes casting. I work with a rather slow curing resin since this gives me enough working time without having to hurry. The finished casts will be inspected for bubbles and other issues and then repaired accordingly. Next up is priming and then painting. I work mostly with an airbrush and automotive paint, but depending on the details, I will use washes, rubs and dry brushing. I enjoy the deceptive simplicity of some kaiju spraypaint jobs, but I also like the precision and details that resin kit painters achieve. I try to use the best of both worlds.

On the topic of “both worlds,” you are part of the “toy art scene,” but you also sold some pieces in the Phillips de Pury auction. How did that come about?

Luck. I am incredibly grateful for this. I wish I could explain everything step by step and encourage others to do the same, but all I did was post my work on a few forums. I was fortunate enough that a collector recommended my work to the person in charge of the auctions. That was it. I’ve been lucky, I guess.

From your “outsider” perspective being based in Germany, what do you make of the “turf war”/arguing that goes on about eastern and western toys?

Is an outsiders perspective actually possible for a scene that has grown mostly via the internet? I don’t know. Do Americans attach patriotism to their toy scene when comparing it to Eastern vinyl? What about those that create/produce Kaiju-inspired Japanese vinyl yet they are American? I personally don’t care much for the turf war, and I care even less for those that try to defend a subjective superiority of one over the other. Fact is, the distinctions are blurry and actually have never been very clear in the first place. Eric So created designs that would easily fit into the western category, yet, he did that way before most of us even thought about vinyl toys. In the end, it boils down to your own preferences. If you can’t stand something, that’s good because it means that you know what you like. Just be polite when announcing your tastes, and maybe every once in a while trying something new and different–be it just for sake of reinforcing your confirmed taste. I guess some people take pride in defending their little turf, even it doesn’t belong to them and never has in the first place. That’s channeling passion for the wrong reasons.

A mix of eastern and western toys, part of Daniel Goffin's personal collection

And what do you make of the debates (that I help fuel, haha) about being an “artist” vs. being a “dude who just makes toys”?

That is a very good debate that our little scene desperately needs. Both approaches are fine. The part where it gets difficult is the money (as always). I consider myself an artist and I’d love to make a living from what I do, yet, it seems many people do not appreciate a price tag that would allow me to do that. Since art toys evolved from cheap mass produced products it seems to be difficult to get people to pay an amount of money that is adequate to the quantity and work that has been put into it. Currently, it seems almost impossible to make a living from art toys, especially hand made toys. This is probably where the whole “dude who just makes toys” thing comes in, but the low prices some people charge for their creations really hurt those who want recognition for their craft apart from a pat one the shoulder. But, le sigh, that is why so many artists in all categories have a hard time making a living. And I am certainly not the one who wants to keep others from simply having fun with a hobby just because I’d like to earn a living with silly little sculptures that don’t even have articulation! Art is such a difficult thing to describe and the same applies to the people that produce it. I’d argue that Sturgeon’s Law applies here.

You were recently in San Francisco. Tell us the highlights of your trip!

San Francisco is a beautiful city, and I felt very comfortable there thanks to my hosts phoneticontrol and his lovely wife. [Editor's note: phoneticontrol took the top photo in this story; that is not Daniel's actual car!] The best highlight is probably all the good food I got to eat over there, especially since America is not particularly well known for good food (at least that’s what a lot of Europeans tend to think). Getting to know many people I’d only previously known online was another big pleasure. I got to see the impressive toy collections of toybot studios, Mark Nagata and Glenn Pogue, I watched the David Choe documentary and of course I walked the bridge, partially at least. Le Merde’s show at Super7 was definitely worth checking out. I love his work. I also got to visit Maker Faire while at the same chatting about toys with Jeremy “Toy Maven” Brautman which was an honor.

Phoneticontrol, Mitch and Daniel in San Francisco's Mission district

Aw, thanks! How was your time in L.A. comparatively?

I didn’t get to see as much of L.A. as I got to see of S.F.. I spent a lot of time at the gallery setting up the Netzwerk and Musashinto Tech show. The opening of the show was definitely the highlight. Other highlights were Venice Beach and watching the sunset on a clear day from the Getty. The Wacko store was also worth the visit. And well, Gino [Joukar]’s office, is also worth a trip for print and toy collectors. I also got to meet Ayleen and George Gaspar of ToyBreak fame. They even invited me over to their house and do a whole episode with them. While on the trip over there we stopped by the DKE Toys warehouse which is quite an experience in itself.

So without further ado, tell us about the show at TAG?

The show at Toy Art Gallery was my first two-person show in the US (with Martin Osuna) and also the inaugural show of the gallery. I displayed two complete sets of my Netzwerk sculptures, four one-off Cheburashka Tank Drivers, a run of 10 Charlize Harlow x Onell Design Buildman toys, 20 sets of Metamorphin capsules and a whole slew of original drawings.

Netzwerk sculptures by Daniel Goffin, photo by Jack Nakamura

I am very happy how the show at TAG turned out. Getting everything ready was quite a bit of work but it was worth it. Sean [Blay of MONSTREHERO] really went out of his way to make sure that everything looked good. I was stoked to see so many people come out to the gallery. Counting all the toys and original drawings together, I have 70+ pieces on exhibition. I know my pieces are rather on the high end in the pricing, but still, many works sold. The public reaction was very appreciative. My Metamorphin sugar capsule toys and the Glyos compatible Charlize Harlow drew the most attention.

Netzwerk sculptures by Daniel Goffin, photo by Jack Nakamura

All available work from the TAG show can be seen here. Daniel, it’s been great hanging with you. Final question: are you accepting commissions, and how do you prefer to be contacted?

I do accept commissions. I try to focus on my own figures, but if there’s a toy you’d like to have painted, just contact me via email (write [at] danielgoffin [dot] com), twitter or flickr.