Clerkenwell Design Week 2013 finished on Thursday, but I thought we could sneak one last interview with a new designer in; this time with Philipp Aduatz.
What’s the most important thing to know about you?
That I am trying to challenge the boundaries between design, art and science.
What inspires your designs?
Scientific results and matters from physics, chemistry and mathematics on one hand; on the other hand great sculptors like Constantin Brancusi, Hans Arp or Richard Serra.
Talk me through your design process from initial idea to final product.
I’m trying to combine traditional craft concepts and cutting edge techniques such as 3D laser scanning, CNC milling and Rapid Prototyping. I often start the design process with a hand crafted clay model that is 3D scanned and then further developed on the computer. By combining traditional and digital techniques I´m trying to develop a new language of form in my pieces.
How do you overcome creative block?
I don’t really ever have suffer from creative block. My problem is more the opposite – I have too many ideas and often not the financial capabilities to realise all the new ideas and projects.
Describe a really good day and a really bad day in the life of Philipp Aduatz.
The best days for me are those when I work on objects or prototypes on my own in my studio, I like the meditative aspect of workflow. Bad days are when I have an epic hangover and I just got to answer emails and do organisational stuff!
Why did you want to be involved in Clerkenwell Design Week?
I participated to get in contact with art and design galleries and to promote my collection and work from the past six years since graduating from university.
What are you most proud of?
To be able to develop a method out of insanity.
How do your products make people’s lives better?
I do believe that design can make peoples lives better, but as I am not making products accessible for everyone I don’t know if my objects do. Instead, let me ask the question: does art make the people’s lives better? I think mankind couldn’t exist without art, even though the art market has become nowadays more of a business issue than a real scale of quality.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to do what you do now?
To think twice about whether this is really what he or she wants – some professions require a certain sacrifice!
And finally, what’s your favourite colour?!
Blue.
Further reading for the especially geeky: