“I went to Beirut last summer and visited the Mohammad Al-Ami Mosque. That was astonishing.”
-What is the most fun part in your job?
I really like the problem solving part. I love the time between the idea and starting to make the physical object. I really like the challenge of creating a process, especially if it is mathematical and/or involves mastering a new piece of software. I also enjoy finding the material solution for an object. I now live in Rio de Janeiro, where there is district full of carnival supply shops, and I love going there to find the “right” material to make a sculpture.
-Do you expect your way of creating art to change in the future?
I hope so.
Do you embrace the changes in the art industry regarding social media and technology influences? Absolutely.
-Do you have a favorite creator of artistic work (can also be a chef, designer, photographer, fashion designer or inventor)?
(I favor) Klaus Obermaier, choreographer; Jeroen Verhoeven, creator of the Cinderella Table; and Alexander McQueen, the late fashion designer.
-If so, why is that?
Klaus Obermaier is a genius, and his works are utterly mind-boggling. I went to the Rites of Spring at the Royal Festival Hall, where he stereoscopically filmed, digitally manipulated and 3D projected a single dancer into the void of the auditorium in real time. It was so ambitious and grand yet so simple and individual. I -- as everyone else in the audience -- was left speechless.
I really love the blend of technology and mechanized production with hand crafting/hand finishing that created such a complex yet simple object in Jeroen Verhoeven’s Cinderella Table.
Alexander McQueen’s collections always communicated a passion for his chosen inspiration – his designs were never watered down nor apologetic and always tasteful and elegant. I remember a matador jacket he made which was so infused with the culture and meaning of bull fighting – every stitch had been thought about and related back to its concept without the final result being overly theatrical.
-Could we feature your favorite artists and/or designers in our magazine and/or online?
Yes, if they wanted.
-In which way do you think art, architecture and design are different and/or similar?
I went to the RCA, where everyone is together in the same building, and I now have lots of friends who are designers. The clearest difference then was that fine artists decide themselves what they want to create and have to be very self-motivated (in relation to setting themselves goals and deadlines) whereas designers tend to have to work to briefs and deadlines. It seemed to me that there were clearer rules and structures in the design world. Fine Artists have the luxury of being able to make and do whatever they want, but also the down side is that there is a very big chance no one else will want (to buy their creations).
-Do you aspire to collaborate with an artist from another artistic discipline?
I am always open to new experiences.
-Do you have a favorite company or exciting other creator with whom you would like to work? I’d really like to work with Klaus Obermaier
-What is your favorite building in the world?
I went to Beirut last summer and visited the Mohammad Al-Ami Mosque. That was astonishing. Also, I am not sure if it counts as a building, but in Provence there is a place called La Cathédrale d’Images – an old quarry which is used as a projection space. Images are projected onto the walls of the huge empty caves left from when it was a quarry. The monasteries of Meteora are wonderful, too.
-What is your favorite hotel?
I don’t go to hotels all that much, but on my wedding night, we went to Maison de la Marine in Cancale, France. I was a beautiful place.
-What would be your best home?
Again, this isn’t something I think about very much, but since being in Rio, I have come to covet the Oscar Niemeyer homes around the city – something like the Institute Moreira Sales in Rio de Janeiro.