jasper morrison interview

jasper morrison© designboom

designboom met jasper morrison in milan on april 2002

what is the best moment of the day?

waking up and going to sleep.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?

pretty eclectic. everything except violins and church music.

‘thinking man’s chair’, 1986 for cappellini

do you listen to the radio?

yes. that’s my main source.

what books do you have on your bedside table?

at the moment, a biography of enzo ferrari.

‘sim’, 1999 for vitra

do you read design magazines?

not much.

where do you get news from?

newspapers, herald tribune.

‘air chair’, 2000 for magis

do you notice how women dress?

do you have any preferences?I notice of course, I prefer the ones who look best.

what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?

I like normal clothes, not too formal. I hate clothes with special detail, I think clothes should be normal.

‘low pad’, 1999 for cappellini

do you have any pets?

no.

where do you work on your designs and projects?

the hard work is in the office and the easy work is travelling. I don’t work much at home.

doorhandle ‘series 1144’, 1990 for FSB

who would you like to design something for?

the work we get in the office is so varied, we don’t think who we want to work for, its exciting enough.

did you always want to become an architect or designer?

I think a mechanic was my first profession.

hannover tram, 1997, for üstra

when did you decide to become a designer?

probably about 16. I had an older cousin who was beginning to design and it seemed like an appealing profession,and then I saw a great exhibition at the v&a museum in london and it seemed like something i could do.

do you discuss your work with architects and designers?

not much, aside from with the people in my office.

‘lima’, 1996 for cappellini

right: ‘flower-pot table’, 1984 for cappellini

describe your style like a good friend of yours would describe it.

simple.

which of your projects has given you the most satisfaction?

I think its a cliched answer, but the one I’m working on at the moment. once the project is made, and it is in the shops it’s a nice memory. I live with a lot of the products, and some of them give more satisfaction than other ones but its hard to pick one.

what is your intent when teaching the young ?

I try to say not to design things too special, just to concentrate on solving problems and I think the best advice I gave to students was to learn how to see everything around them. that was really my education.

chair for la tourette monastery, 1998

is there any architect or designer from past you appreciate a lot?

many many many… jean prouve’, charles eames, franco albini, and then vico magistretti, achille castiglioni, enzo mari, dieter rams…

and the youngs? are there any particular ones you appreciate?

lots, like marc newson, stefano giovannoni, james irvine, konstantin grcic, many more…

what are you afraid of regarding the future?

I’m afraid of the americans, american politicians and that combination of arrogance and ignorance, and you could say that for the israelis too at the moment. its so painfully wrong what’s going on.