interview with protagonists of the international design scene. we met the young german designer konstantin grcic in munich .......................................
......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary ---
konstantin grcic was born in munich, germany in 1965. after training as a cabinet maker at parnham college in england he studied design at the royal college of art in london from 1988-90. in 1990 he has worked in the studio of jasper morrison and in 1991 he was setting up his own design practice in munich. many of his products have received prestigious design awards, the mayday-lamp produced by flos was selected into the permanent collection of the museum of modern art in new york. in 1999 he won the competetion to furnish a public square in london's canary wharf. in october 2000 konstantin grcic is nominated "guest of honour" at the interieur biennial in kortrijk/ belgium presenting an extensive show of his work. www.konstantin-grcic.com --- the design work of konstantin grcic is part of following manufacturer's collections : www.classicon.com www.cappellini.it www.flos.net www.iittala.fi www.montina.it www.moormann.de www.scp.co.uk	konstantin grcic © designboom
--- we met konstantin grcic in his studio in munich the 21.08.2000 --- what is your best moment of the day? the morning, from 8 to 9. what kind of music do you listen to at the moment? a lot of music, i always listen to music, lots of surf-punk, mostly music with electric guitars. do you listen to the radio? no. what books do you have on your bedside table? right now “the yellow pencil” (der gelbe bleistift) by christian kracht. do you read design magazines? no, i don’t read them, but i flip through them. newspapers? where do you get news from? süddeutsche zeitung, every day. do you notice how women are dressing? do you have any preferences? in the summer a woman with a beautiful dress is very noticable. what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing? for example, I never wear shorts. do you have any pets? no. where do you work on your designs and projects? in terms of space usually in my studio, and then in my head. who would you like to design something for? for industry. do you discuss or exchange ideas with other designers? I have good friends who are designers, and dialogue is very important for me. the person I talk with most is sebastian bergne. describe your style, like a good friend of yours would describe it. I would say current, feasible and realistic. do you think that design is an autonomous cultural expression? do you think it's a form of art? I think of design as a cultural expression. it is an autonomous discipline...but not like a cultural expression. it is closely linked to communication and other fields of art. I don’t like the idea of design being defined “art”. as a source of inspiration, art is very important for me ... so is the cinema and music. which of your projects has given you the most satisfaction? and which do you like the most? the “mayday” lamp for flos. do you enjoy your work? what did you want to be when you were a child? the thing I enjoy the most, since I was a child, is to make things. I still love my work, because I make 3D objects in my studio. I have become what I wanted to be when I was a child, though I didn’t know the word “design”. is there any architect or designer from past you appreciate a lot? there are many. some because of their life’s work, like sottsass or castiglioni, others are very important for me perhaps because of a single design item. what about colleagues, are there any particular ones you appreciate? jasper morrison has been and is very important for me, sebastian bergne is a close friend and phillippe starck, alberto meda. on the news they said that italians are afraid of unemployment, criminality and pollution. what are you afraid of regarding the future? I’m not afraid of anything, that has made me reflect a lot, in this new millennium, is that our lives are so short and so important to us.	high-low, 2000 graphics on a beach towel for moeve belle + bon, 1999 eggcup and spoon for porzellan manufaktur nymphenburg mayday, 1998 portable lamp for flos bucket, 1997 for authentics
the questionaire of marcel proust (1871 - 1922) ............................................................................................... (in age of fourteen proust was given an english album "confessions : an album to record thoughts, feelings". seven years later marcel proust published this questionaire) in the literary salons in nineteenth century paris, this parlour game was a popular amusement. for designboom konstantin grcic has answered these 'old fashioned' questions. ......................................................................................................................................................................................
the main trait of my character. perseverance. a quality I desire in a man. the ability to make decisions. a quality I desire in a woman. independence, creativity. what I appreciate most among my friends. patience. my principal defect. not having enough time. my favourite occupation. day-dreaming. my dream of felicity. to have a lot of time. what would for me be the biggest misfortune. losing my dreams. whom I would like to be. a driver for formula 1. the country were I would like to live. in the city. the colour I prefer. grey. the flower I love. the tulip. the bird I prefer. brancusi’s dove. my favourite authors. hemmingway, max frisch. my favourite poets. garcia llorca. my heroes in fiction. homo faber. my heroines in fiction. pippi longstocking. my favourite composers. beasty boys, man or astroman. my favourite artists. goya, fontana, rothko, warhol and richter. my heroes in real life. we are all heroes. my heroines in history. same as above my favourite names. katharina, patrizia. what I hate most. cynicism. the historic characters I dislike most. people who are selfish, who only want power, despots. the military enterprise I like the most. hannibal when he crossed the alps with elephants. the reformation I appreciate the most. equality. nature’s gift I would like to have. to be able to write. how I would like to die. prepared for it. my soul's present condition. present. the faults I can bear. being awakened. my motto. keep on moving. --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	leopolda + leopoldino, 1997 armchair and table for montina zig zag, 1996 dismantelable shelf for driade start, 1993 folding chair for cappellini tam tam + tom tom, 1992 height adjustable tables for scp clothes-hanger-brush, 1992 for progetto oggetto (cappellini)