Paul Smith and John Pawson Wallpaper*: What sort of architecture do you think reflects your aesthetic?
Paul Smith: This question is not easy for me to answer because I am dedicated to individuality, which means I try to make each new shop different and fit in with the character of the location and the spirit of the country. For instance, my Los Angeles shop is a simple, bright pink concrete rectangular building which works well in a city where everybody is driving not walking and looks amazing against the LA blue sky, whereas my Milan shop is in part of an old palace and its walls are in dusty pink reminiscent of the interior of a Italian church.
W*: How can architecture help sell fashion?
PS: Shop architecture of course can help present your image and help customers distinguish your aesthetic. My main concern with a lot of shops or public spaces designed by architects is that they are often too self- indulgent and the practical aspects required are not thought about.
W*: What are your reasons for selecting John Pawson?
PS: I admire John Pawson's work for its purity of scale and proportion, simplicity and quality. The bridge at Kew Gardens is so elegant and made with such quality that it will look good for many years.
W*: You have not worked on any projects together but would you/ do you intend to? PS: At the moment there is no opportunity to do so, but who knows what the future holds?
W*: Do you have a favourite building?
PS: I can never answers any questions about favourite buildings, music, designers etc. because I am so open to all aspects of life. Some buildings which really impress me are also inspirational to John: Le Thoronet Abbey, east of Provence, and the Tempietto of San Pietro in Montorio.
W*: What is your favorite city and why? PS: As I said earlier, favourite anything is difficult for me. I love the layout and scale of Paris, the energy of New York, the confusion of the skyline in Tokyo, but most of all I love London because it's my home.
W*: Which location or city do you think could most do with a makeover? PS: British provinces that were ruined in the 1960s and 1970s.
W*: How difficult is it to combine your vision with that of someone whose vision may be equally strong?
John Pawson: At its best collaboration, whether with architects, artists or designers of one sort or another, can be a very stimulating experience. At the Hotel Puerta America in Madrid, I was one of three architects working on the ground floor. My lobby was bookended by Marc Newson’s bar and Christian Liagre’s restaurant. We all had very strong visions and each was different, but I loved the finished sequence of spaces.
Last year, I finished a house for Fabien Baron in Sweden. He is another individual with a clear vision of how things should be, but he is also happy to trust, which made for a creative relationship.
I have tremendous respect for Paul and his work - which is always a good basis for working with someone. There is also the fact that we are both from the north of England - northern equals straightforward - and we have each experienced the passion of cycling.
W*: Are you surprised Paul Smith selected you as his architect of choice?
JP: Paul has come to see a number of projects over the last few years: he was at the consecration of the new Cistercian monastery in Bohemia a couple of years back, the opening of an exhibition at Le Thoronet Abbey in May of this year, and a few weeks later at the Sackler Crossing in Kew. I think that the work makes sense for him, but his approach is to look and listen rather than say very much, so his response always retains a little healthy mystery.
W*: How does an architect begin to turn the task of shopping into a memorable event?
JP: The whole point is to create an environment where the people, the clothes and the place look good.
W*: Does fashion interest you?
JP: I'm always interested in good design, whatever the field. My first job was working for my father who owned a textile company in Halifax. I even spent a short and not very successful spell there designing a line of women's clothes. In terms of being interested as a consumer, the answer is that I prefer to keep things simple. I have an unvarying uniform of white shirts worn with chinos in summer and dark grey wool trousers in winter. I do, however, have a made-to-measure Paul Smith suit which I enjoy every time I put it on.
W*: Have many fashion "innovators" helped advance public perception of architecture?
JP: There has always been a link between architecture and fashion ‘innovators’. I have worked extensively with Calvin Klein over the years and I think that he has had a tremendous impact in this respect. He was never interested in the impermanence of conventional store interiors. From the beginning he wanted to make authentic architecture – places with a real quality of space which people would feel as soon as they walked in. The flagship store in Manhattan has stayed pretty much as designed, more than a decade after it was finished and it is still having an impact on the way people commission and design stores.
沒有留言:
張貼留言