How would you explain your experience concerning the mentorship program of Rising Talent Awards as part of Maison & Objet 2018?
I was really surprised with this nomination, as I have never met Luca Nichetto before. First time we met was the first night of Maison & Objet. I admire his work. I guess he is a contemporary master of design. I consider nominating someone that he didn't meet before and who has a different style as an honest nomination. I am really very happy about this. End of July 2017, I received an e-mail and learned that I was nominated. I called Maison & Objet. They explained me the whole process. I was free to choose what I would present. This creates also a variety in the exhibition of six designers presented here. Everyone has his own style and process. The only thing, which is common for all these works, is being honest.
What are you exhibiting?
I am exhibiting my design works from different years. I started with the one from 2014. I have also works from 2015, 2017 and 5 days before Maison & Objet started. The one from 2017, I exhibited during the last Milan Design Week at Nilufar Gallery. Two of the products are created for the gallery and the other two are created for the industry context. The lounge chair was designed for the Nilufar Gallery. It is one of my favourites, which expresses myself the best. Polyfunctionality and material mix are two different concepts merged in this piece in order create a balance not underline the contrast. The five materials used are bronze, brass, marble, wool and wood. Contrary to the opinion of most of the viewers this furniture was designed for compact spaces. This piece connected with the lighting presented here in the sense of material mix. The lighting is made of marble, glass, metal and leather. I love to mix materials to create a balance. The connection between a limited edition and an industrial product can be the material mix. In general, I prefer simple shapes and natural materials.
Which topics are becoming more relevant in the contemporary design discussion from your perspective?
An important topic is the global versus local discussion. Globalization is a strong reality. Nowadays we can’t even say if it is the work of a Turkish or Italian designer. I thank that it is the right time for designers to step back from being global and appreciating their own honesty. This brings stronger connection with your experience, feeling and origin. My origin is probably connected with my childhood. I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ place. They own a metal shelving factory next to their house; the ones you place in your garage; really sad objects. I used to spend my afternoons in their house where I was escaping to the factory to play with the metal tubes. I experienced the interaction with simple metal pieces there. This is the connection of what I am doing now with my childhood. I love the Italian design. Through working with Nilufar Gallery I had the chance to get in the know of great Italian designers. I knew their works from design books. But the gallery allowed me to experience them in real life and create an emotion with the design pieces. To see the history of design and make it contemporary is very important for my work.
Everything is changing too fast. What we consider about future will probably be very different next year. Even if it is hard to predict the future, I believe that people will produce many functional things in the future by their own, maybe with a 3D printer. Especially for smaller objects such as a spoon this will be the common practice. In my case, this won’t be so relevant as I like to work with natural materials.
Which media, figures, movements and developments are you following?
I used to follow Yatzer at the beginning of my career. They featured my work at Milan Design Week. This created a connection with them. Dezeen is another good source I occasionally follow.
How do you want to evolve your design practice?
I will continue to do the things in the same way as I am doing now. Being honest to myself is crucial for me. I want to do things which I guess are showing my feelings. I want to be remembered as an honest designer.