L'Italo-Americano

Piero Lissoni: the humanistic approach to design and architecture On Wednesday, September 17, the GRAYE showroom in Beverly Hills hosted an interest- ing round table on contemporary design and architecture trends, with the participation of a special guest: Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni. He was invited to share his views and knowledge with other representa- tives of these sectors, including GRAYE creative director Maria Cicione, executive director of the A+D museum Tibbie Dunbar, director of the AIA/LA Carlo Caccavale, and Angeleno Associate Publisher and Interiors California Publisher Jennifer Polachek. The event was also attended by IIC acting director, Michela Magrì, representing the local Italian Institutions and community. Founder of the Lissoni Associates, with offices in Milan, New York, and Tokyo, Piero Lissoni graduated from the Milan Polytechnic in 1978 and since then he has worked with some of the most prestigious manufactur- ers such as Kartell, Boffi, and others. What is the secret to turn ideas into commercial products and to establish a company like yours? When I founded Lissoni Associates 25 years ago, me and my colleagues just wanted to have fun working in the fields of graphics, design, and architec- ture. The spirit has remained the same, today we still enjoy what we do while keeping the compa- ny's books in balance. In your opinion, is commer- cialization an ally or an enemy of art? The truth is that our job is very different from art itself. It is a profession. Architects and L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 designers work with the produc- tion companies throughout the creative process. We can't create our products without a continu- ous dialogue and negotiation with excellent clients. Even big names like Vico Magistretti owed their success to the fruitful collaboration with great entre- preneurs and manufacturers, who transformed Italy into an industrialized country. Do you think that the eco- nomic crisis will give a boost to production and creativity? Economic crisis can have a double effect, changing the rules of play and forcing us to react in order to survive. This always represents a risk, especially in a country like Italy that still looks too rigid and slow to react. Whereas other countries, includ- ing the U.S., were structurally prepared and have already start- ed to recover from the crisis, in Italy we are still talking about it. How is your relationship with U.S. clients? Most of my American clients are located on the East Coast, which I visit almost once a month. Last time I came to the West Coast was two years ago, instead, but I actually really like it. After Los Angeles, I will trav- el to San Francisco to promote the exhibition "1:1 PIERO LIS- SONI" that has been already pre- sented in Tokyo and Chicago. What is the main difference sILVIA sIMONETTI Carlo Caccavale, Jennifer Polachek, Maria Cicione, Piero Lissoni, and Tibbie Dunbar between the U.S. and European approach to design and archi- tecture? The European approach is based on the humanistic sensibil- ity, which means that the archi- tecture of a building must be designed in harmony with the interiors, the engineering and mechanical components, and even the business aspect. This synergy and collaboration in the creative process is essential for my team and me. On the con- trary, the American approach is usually more specialized: for example, the architect only takes care of his or her specific portion of the project, without any dia- logue with the other parties involved. Nowadays, global travel and modern technologies enable our clients to be informed on interna- tional trends: they know what they want but we know how to create it, and this is where nego- tiation starts. Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni at GRAYE showroom in Beverly Hills

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