konstantin grcic interview
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.
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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.
‘beach measure’ graphics on a beach towelfor moeve
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.
belle + bon, 1999eggcup and spoon forporzellan manufaktur nymphenburg
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.
mayday, 1998portable lamp for flos
what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?
for example, I never wear shorts.
do you have any pets?
no.
bucket, 1997for authentics
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.
left: leopolda + leopoldino, 1997armchair and table for montina
right: zig zag, 1996dismantelable shelf for driade
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.
tam tam + tom tom, 1992height adjustable tables for scp
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 theword “design”.
left: start, 1993folding chair for cappellini
right: clothes-hanger-brush, 1992for progetto oggetto (cappellini)
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.
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