Design
Tom Dixon: "Habitat and Architecture Must Have Continuity, Permanence"
On the occasion of his Milanese Twenty exhibition and the twenty years of existence of his emblematic eponymous brand, the British designer confides in the Official.
Journalists often mention your musical background and your group Funkapolitan. How did the transition between music and design take place during your career?
It was spring, and our band was getting ready to go on tour. I went on a motorcycle ride, got distracted by a woman, had an accident and it ended in a broken arm. One of my friends, a better bass player than me, replaced me. When I recovered, the other band members didn't want me anymore! I also took my first steps into the world of nightlife at that time, and I had a lot of free time during the day. I learned how to repair my motorcycle, and I was instantly seduced by the idea of manipulating metal structures. My friends in fashion, cinema or evolving in beauty had constant needs for furniture or arrangements, and that's how I tamed design.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on the design market, forcing consumers to refocus on their own interiors. How did you experience this period and what did it bring you in terms of creativity?
For us, the impact was mostly concentrated on our factories, which were all closed at different times and all around the world. We continue to suffer the consequences of the pandemic in terms of our supply, so we cannot yet speak of it in the past tense. Major international design events have also been cancelled, which means we haven't been able to show new ideas.
But when it comes to creativity, I personally find the answer obvious. The space and the silence that settled when the world stopped was very stimulating for each of us, it made it possible to question what we were doing, and how we were doing it. Some people decided to change their lives, and I found time again to create things with my own hands, which I found very therapeutic. But we must not forget that for a large number of people the pandemic has been disastrous and cruel, with serious consequences; I therefore consider myself very lucky.
How do you apprehend the fact of being copied, and how to fight this phenomenon at the time of the mass market and globalization?
Let's say it's a real challenge. It is extremely difficult to face, given the complexity of the different laws in force according to the territories. The film or music industry is much better protected than ours. Even if we are sometimes able to stop the copiers, in my opinion it is important not to devote too much time and energy to it. It is more important to innovate, and to succeed in making people understand why the original is always better than a copy.
How do you stimulate your inspiration in an era saturated with information and in constant search for novelty? Does music continue to play a major role in your creative process?
I believe that the fact of having known the world before the Internet was a chance! But I also think that digital has opened up an infinite number of possibilities that were previously unavailable to us. The other issue is that the interiors shouldn't change depending on the internet. The habitat and the architecture must have a certain continuity, a permanence. So maybe sticking to some timeless ones when the whole world is changing could be an interesting pattern?
Do you think Instagram has had a positive effect on the younger generation, especially by raising awareness about design and the works of cult architects and designers?
Yes potentially, although I feel that more and more talented designers are now expressing themselves through purely virtual creativity.
At a time of the omnipotence of social networks, how to fight against the monotonous standardization of design and the temptation of so-called "instagrammable" interiors?
I don't see it as a fight, more as a way of understanding an alternative flow of activity, which we like or hate according to our own sensitivity.
