Devon Turnbull

b. 1979, United States

Devon Turnbull (b. 1979, New York) is known under his creative pseudonym OJAS, a Sanskrit term that loosely translates to ‘life vitality’, and one that has been used multi-disciplinary, from graffiti to streetwear, music, high fashion and graphic design. Having originally studied Audio Engineering, Turnbull went on to co-found and design for the influential subterranean clothing brand, Nom de Guerre, in 2003. During this time he regularly visited Japan, where he was exposed to the now almost-extinct craft of the audio-building, and began to turn his attention to experimentation and engineering of underground audio. Over the decades, Turnbull has created a countercultural following for creating handmade, high-fidelity home-audio equipment that is committed to conveying the naturalistic quality of music. These monolithic speakers have been seen and heard in spaces including the homes of celebrity music producers like Mark Ronson; Virgil Abloh’s ‘Figures of Speech’ exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum; the Nine Orchard Hotel, NYC Ace Hotel and Public Records in Brooklyn, NYC; and the fashion retailers, Ssense and Supreme Stores. Through all of these collaborations, Turnbull’s devotion to utter sonic purity remains unparalleled.

CV