stefano giovannoni interview

stefano giovannoni portrait © designboom

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designboom met stefano giovannoni in his milan studio on july 20th, 2000.

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designboom (DB): what is the best moment of the day?

stefano giovannoni (SG): the evening, when I’m back at home and I have time left to listen to some music, or spend time with my children.

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

SG: any kind, but mainly electronic music.

cico alessi, 2000

DB: do you listen to the radio?

SG: no.

DB: what books do you have on your bedside table?

SG: some books about the internet, electronic commerce, and other theoretical works, like baudrillard.

bombo, 1999chair for magis

DB: do you read design magazines?

SG: I just take a look, I don’t read them.

DB: where do you get news from?

SG: ‘repubblica’ and ‘corriere della sera’.

DB: do you notice how women are dressing? do you have any preferences?

SG: yes, sure (laughs), my preferences? it depends on each subject.

mami, 1999tockpot for alessi

DB: what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?

SG: tie and shirt, the latter cause I find it uncomfortable.

DB: do you have any pets?

SG: not in this moment.

DB: where do you work on your designs and projects?

SG: I design in my car (laughs) in fact, I’m having a lot of crashes, …and during the ‘costanzo-show’.

pino, 1998funnel for alessi(with miriam mirri)

DB: who would you like to design something for?

SG: there are many interesting situations, even if I’m quite satisfied with the job I’m doing in this moment. I’d like to realize an architectural job, like I did just after the degree.

DB: when you are working, do you discuss or exchange ideas with your colleagues?

SG: yes, I keep in touch with a lot of friends-designers; we don’t discuss so much about cultural topics, but more about managerial or economic aspects (smiles).

mago, 1998broom for magis

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

SG: I work on the ‘goods’ product, the mass production object, with high sales potential and large public use, thus on a communication project.

DB: what is the most playful shape you’ve ever created?

SG: I can’t say, I don’t like to talk about my objects like “toys”, for me the “goods” aspect is prevalent.

volcano, 1998watch for alba-seiko

DB: which of your projects has given you the most satisfaction? and which do you like the most?

SG: I’d say the hit selling (smiles).

DB: is there any designer from past you appreciate a lot?

SG: I appreciated ettore sottsass, as personality representative of a certain historical period. today our job is quite distant from the job of the masters, who worked in the past … also verner panton.

DB: what about your younger colleagues, are there any particular ones you appreciate?

SG: jasper morrison and marc newson.

liliput, 1993salt and pepper set for alessi

DB: do you use the internet? what do you usually search in it?

SG: a lot of music, and a lot of information regarding my job.

DB: do you believe in sharing knowledge via internet? or do you think that the internet has more negative effects on us, as the ‘big brother is watching you’?

SG: I believe in sharing knowledge, even if knowledge is related to individual experience. the same cognitive assumption can be interpreted in different ways, according to the specific experience of a referrer.

DB: last week on the news broadcast they said that italians are afraid of unemployment, criminality and pollution. what are you afraid of regarding the future ?

SG: during the 30’s, 50’s and 60’s there were great visions about the future world, projected in a distant future, while today time runs so fast that we live our future every six months. everything is more pragmatic, there’s no more gap between the informative and cognitive moment, but fear is related to life and death. anyway, I have an optimistic vision.