P. 56 PHILIPPE NIGRO A Dialogue with Creativity Phillipe Nigro has created pieces for firms such as Ligne Roset, Cinna, Hermès, Pernod-Ricard and nearly fifty more, all of which present one common element: a refreshing element of surprise that transforms a sofa, a chair, a bookshelf or a lamp in something more than just a product and turns them into expressive spaces of their own. Text by Francisco Javier Barriopedro Photography courtesy of Philippe Nigro It was within the activities of the Maison & Objet 2015 International Fair, that Glocal had the opportunity to have a conversation with Phillipe Nigro, born in France and named Designer of The Year during Maison & Objet 2014. We talked with him about his career, which he started in 1999 as an independent designer alongside Michele De Lucchi, a combination of talents that up to 2015 has yielded great results and has been talked about in all the highest spheres of world-class design. Philippe is a generous man, with a kind demeanor and presents himself unpretentiously. His easy-going personality is reflected in his Parisian studio, the place we had agreed to use for our conversation and where each one of the pieces he had designed throughout his successful career have been conjured. He is an old friend of ours thanks to his participation in the past edition of Design Week Mexico 2014, where we could witness his most recent project, which result in him being declared as the best in his field. To be up to date with us, he told us about little details about his work on the still developing project in the Museum of Design for the Milan Triennial and the beginning of his collaboration with the firms Marssoto Edizioni, Caimi Brevetti y Venini. When we asked him what is the reason to have such a busy schedule, Philippe responded: “To the public’s excellent response. They are interested in my work, and that is why they call me.” We wanted to dig a bit in the mind of this sere-looking man, and thus we referred him to his childhood and asked him which were his favorite toys and if he had been a curious child. “I liked to play with the Lego system and similar things. I remember I was very interested in opening objects such as old machines and look inside, just to figure out 100
how they worked. I also used these pieces to create small sculptures and little things like that. So, yes, we can say that I was interested in design, somehow, when as a child. As well s in understanding how to build those kinds of objects,” Nigro replied. This ludic and inquisitive mindset is still evident in his works. He explores shape, plays with proportions and colors, turns rigid elements such as crystal into organiclooking cocoons and he transforms a walled space into welcoming and comfortable living-room furniture. He told us that something vital for his creative development was that his parents always supported him in everything he wanted to do and that he saw curiosity as an essential part of his job. “The things that made me the curious were those that allowed me to find new approaches and shapes for them. Basically everything makes me curious, but it depends what kind of project I would like to use my ‘current source’ for. For example, if I travel to Mexico, I look even at a plant unique to the region that I am strolling through. I think one must remain curious in respect to the countries’ cultures and their specific needs. That is fundamental,” the designer asserted. Philippe’s work is nurtured by various contexts and local points of view, then to be presented as universal objects and in synchrony with our times, fitting for the contemporary spaces without loosing the elegance intrinsic to other eras and representing it through the use of a specific material, color or curvature in each piece. There is where the force of his design resides: he presents us with well-known objects, yet he offers unexpected and fresh solutions that contain a discreet nostalgic element, but that remain innovative and tasteful pieces. Even now that collaboration seems to be a buzzword in the design world, for Philippe this has always been the natural way for him to work. “I started my job as a freelancer with De Lucchi and, during this collaborative period, the most important thing I learned and the one I value the most still, was how to work beyond an purely theoretical idea. When one is studying Design, everything is a collection of abstract ideas, theories about shape, form and function…” Nigro paused and smiles like a naughty child. “In reality, you do not have a precise idea about what will the real labor be, and collaborating with
Michele, I learned to toil and understand what the real work was. It was very interesting given the fact that he is Italian, and because in Italy it is not very common to just be an architect, or just a designer or a graphic designer… everything is combined into one,” he pointed out. Through this joint effort, the creator was able to obtain plenty of knowledge that has lead him to create important projects, “I learned that being a designer is not just about making furniture or creating a product, but it also has to do with other disciplines such as architecture, interior design, landscaping… everything that requires a solution created to specifically satisfy that need than we are dealing with. Anything that is useful for us to achieve that goal.” If we go through his portfolio, we will realize the veracity of this statement. We continued our conversation and asked him which of the production stages of certain pieces did he considered to be the ones where he learned the most, or which had been his best experience so far. “I begin all of my processes with a sketch. Maybe later I will build models. The most important thing is to start a dialogue with the factory in order to exchange ideas in an open-yet-very-precise manner; this way it is easier to turn ideas into products. At the end there is also a very important part of the whole process: the prototypes. Yes, you can imagine something and project it in sketches or renderings, but the prototype is the crucial point where you can make either big changes or small modifications. I must admit that the whole process is relevant for me because I like both the initial stage, and also going to the factory to modify a piece and to work with the artisan. Here, when you talk to the factory owner as well as with the craftsman, is when the moment to truly innovate presents itself. This is the instant that I consider to be actually important,” he confessed. But the process of creating product does not end there: it is adjusted several times that the creator even compares with his own professional life. “It happens just like with my career, a process has a ‘before’ and ‘after’ division. In my case, you can see this with the Intersections piece and yes, we can say that this was the moment that defines both stages in the Nigro process,” he smiled. “Wi the support granted by VIA (Valorisation of Innovation in Furniture), this project was crucial because it was well outside the