V-ZUG Inspirations Magazine - Magazine - Page 19
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commercial clients. This is because ‘raw’ is hard to define and
hard to control and it isn’t commercially viable yet. I think the
raw nature of things is, above all, beautiful. And by allowing
things to be raw, you create some freedom.
You often explore sport as a field for design. What is it
about this intersection that fascinates you? As a kid I spent
hours and hours reading catalogues of sports equipment. It
would be true to say that they were my first design teachers.
This was completely unconscious and at the time I had no idea
that I would want to become a designer. I was drawn to the
beauty of the objects and the technology that is inherent in
them. Technology that is in sync with performance and the
shape. I also love the joy that comes with it. In this world, you
associate sports equipment with play. For example, think of
all the amazing sneakers people wear. Super high-tech construction, the colours, the style. But if you look at the same
people’s homes, you’ll probably find that their chairs aren’t
on the same level as their shoes. Instead, they’d probably
be quite traditional. I think in sports equipment design is
accepted as expressive and forward-looking, whereas furniture is conservative.
What kind of brief would you like to get that you haven’t
gotten yet? For so many years I have been saying that I would
love to design a bicycle. But nobody listens. That’s fine.
A lot of designers seem to be obsessed with bicycles. The
bicycle is a beautiful invention and expression of movement,
because it is a perfect match for the human body. Besides
that, a bike is very similar to a piece of furniture. Compared
to many other products, furniture pieces are bare structure.
What you see is what you get. There is no covering, no hiding, everything is exposed and reduced. There might be good
reasons why I couldn’t design a running shoe, but given my
experience in furniture, I could design a pretty good bicycle. I understand the frame, the dynamics, the technology.
And I love cycling. ●
KONSTANTIN GRCIC
