Homes may be castles to some, but occasionally even a castle needs a new kitchen, or a bout of renovation, even full-fledged restoration. It can be a bit complicated, what with all the different craftspersons involved. But help is on the way.

One-stop solution

“If you have four doctors, you’ll have five illnesses” is an old Jewish saying. It works for renovations as well: Your neighbour refers a friendly but incompetent architect, someone knows a plumber who will do the job for a little less, the nice electrician sends his apprentices and a few months later the fuse box is toast, the bathwater is dripping on the neighbours below, and the children’s room is painted in a deep purple rather than a whiter shade of pale. It’s a gaping gap in the market, and some people have jumped into it with a business plan, like Mirna Pavone of Artea Concept. Her idea is to relieve the renovator by elaborating a customised design plan that covers everything from basic structure to final decorative details. A team then takes over for the implementation.

There are several important advantages to the one-stop-shop idea. The first is flexibility. If you, as the renovator, decide to change your mind, a business like Artea has the capacity to respond swiftly to any required changes. The second advantage is not having to deal with all the logistics and having to supervise the actual work, visit suppliers, and so on. Finally, going through a one-stopshop can in the end save money through economies of scale, because Artea has a wide range of tried and proven craftspersons on hand to get the job done quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Far from the maddening crowd: Designer bathroom concepts are shifting towards minimalism, with space and unique locations given to each element. Artea Concept contact Mirna Pavone +41 (0)21 802 64 76, 39 Route de Chavanne, Lausanne (showroom) www.arteaconcept.ch

Article by Laura Holman

The new Sigg water bottle, designed by James Rizzi, presents enthusiasts with the true zenith of pop art: a commercial item reflecting a commercial item.

21st-century sustainability: binging in the rain

Rizzi’s choice of the image of modern “pseudo-innocence,” commonly associated with the fanatical American “Indie” culture, might be an attempt to isolate one of popular culture’s massproduced icons, and to criticise consumerism; it is, ironically, a collectable worth collecting, thus the metaphor has become its original object, the fig leaf has turned into genitalia.

Reminiscent of the artwork satirically used in the dark comedies of directors like Wes Anderson and Jason Reitman, the design is playful, but it also offers something more for those willing to look further. Like most pop art, it acts deceptively as a comment upon naivety rather than a reproduction of it, and whilst the colourful compositions premise this by hinting at a childlike innocence, they also enable this kind of avant-garde art to emphasise particular elements in contemporary culture.

The obscure critique of consumer society is customary. Considering the aristocratic origins of more dated art, contemporary artists tend to be from comparatively modest backgrounds. In Rizzi’s case – and in true pop-art fashion – attitudes are more important. With candour redolent of the late Andy Warhol, he declares in an interview – published on his website – that he deplores greed, but also fears not being able to afford the things he is used to.

His admiration of those who work hard, provide, and “live in the present” is also common to proponents of pop art, who have always aimed to create something with instant meaning, transmitting messages that are tremendously blunt in contrast to the esoteric canvases of abstract expressionism. After graduating from the University of Florida, Rizzi made a name for himself, first in the US, then globally, thanks to his seemingly cheerful portrayal of emotions and situations. One of the most important features of his work has been the “3D artwork” he devised and developed; eventually leading him into the realms of animation, object design, Rosenthal porcelain, and most recently this recent Sigg collectable.

Sigg, founded in Switzerland over 100 years ago, has an export share of more than 90 percent, making their product an ideal canvas for mass-manufactured art, whether ironic or not. They elect a new design on a yearly basis, with two of their bottles so far having made it into the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The company’s artistic aspirations, as well as their allegedly ecofriendly rationale, both correspond to the optimism communicated in Rizzi’s work, and have attracted both appreciative sporty-types as well as celebrities such as Gisele Bündchen, Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, who tend to wear pro-sustainability in the same way they wear make-up and designer clothing.

The Sigg bottle by James Rizzi is available from October at www.sigg.com.

Article by Kyle Packer

Isaac Newton discovered gravitation when he realised that an apple was being pulled to earth. And Denis Papin allegedly had his eureka moment while looking at steam push up the cover of a kettle. Could the sublime and the ridiculous really be coexisting at all times?

Cuisine by Arclinea

Where architectural developments are inseparable from societal evolution, the aesthetics of the home are determined by minor cultural revolutions. Of course, today’s globalised world poses a paradox. Either a design gains international popularity by skilfully standardising taste, or it naturally evokes our gregarious instinct, newly apparent in this interconnected world market, that precludes individual taste.

The kitchen is one of the cultural markers of a society. In most nature-bound communities (from native Americans, to Siberian tribes, passing by Hungarian peasants), the kitchen is the centre of the home. In our western culture, however, we have had some difficulty in placing it in the home. Arclinea is a brand that has successfully traversed the murky waters of our sociological indecision to reach the competitive new world. In 1925, Silvio Fortuna Senior founded the company in the provincial town of Caldogno, Italy. Building its capacity as a series producer of kitchen furnishings, the enterprise eventually took on the name Arclinea Cucine Compobibili’ (Rational Modular Furniture) during the futuristic design era of the 1960s.

Established industrial design architect Antonio Citterio has worked closely with Arclinea since 1986, and has coordinated their collection and corporate strategy since 1998. Citterio, a two-time recipient of the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award, has produced part of the permanent collection at New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art, as well as pieces for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Since 2006 he has been an Adjunct Professor of Design at the Academy of Architecture at the University of Italian Switzerland (Università della Svizzera Italiana).

The resulting design portfolio incorporates innovative solutions for traditional problems. The f lagship attribute is the artful and efficient use of space to solve functionality issues. For example, Citterio’s “Italia” design turns the kitchen into what it always was back in the days when family life meant something: a buoyant hub. Large worktops and efficient accessory storage facilities ensure a lot of visibility. The whole thing is built on a steel base, which is both hygienic and sturdy. The later “Artusi” design allows for personalisation, i.e., it delivers the kind of f lexibility that evolving fashion sometimes demands. Wood, lacquers and laminates join forces with stainless steel to give a wide range for design maneuver, without compromising strong functional performance. The “Convivium” model offers the same efficiency, but with an elegance through which Citterio rethinks the individual elements of the kitchen.

Nowadays, of course, with work having become the main determining factor of daily life, kitchens have degenerated in certain classes to tiny functional affairs where the human being can make a quick coffee or microwave some frozen foods. Nevertheless, Arclinea’s place in the contemporary market should survive the cultural revolutions of today. Testimony to this is the company’s recent progress in incorporating ecological priority into their designs. Their commitment to reduce both formaldehyde emissions and the use of non-recyclable materials shows a modern, intelligent respect for sustainable development – a generational firm that holds a generational view, as well as vested interests in the future market.

Arclinea products are available at: Ambiance Cuisine, 4, route des Jeunes, Geneva-Acacias Misura Design AG, Forchstrasse 225, Zurich

Article by Kyle Packer

While design of clothing, furniture, watches, and other items of la vie quotidienne are regularly recognised for innovation and logic, scant attention is paid to the intricacies of design for modes of transport and the implications thereof. From municipal buses to SBB rolling stock, much time, effort and investment go into the engineering and interior design to create the best possible products in motion.

Your money’s worth: first class seating...and sleeping

For SWISS International Air Lines, the impact of design goes beyond national borders. In this age of global movement, the first impression of Switzerland as a nation for many travellers takes place upon boarding a SWISS jet in Bangkok, Tokyo or New York. With novel design elements and innovative thinking incorporated into its latest Business Class and First Class products, SWISS takes Swiss cleverness and knowhow to the world with the same seriousness as any furniture workshop designing a sofa or table – and faces additional considerations such as weight, volume, and flame resistance to boot. Next time you fly SWISS at the front of the plane, notice the details. Everything in the cabin is designed with careful attention to physical comfort and ergonomic application.

SWISS is not the only Swiss company to benefit from its latest improvements; the success of the new cabin interiors can be accredited to the Swiss companies that created them. Oberwil-based textile designer Caroline Flueler designed the soft amenities, such as pillows and blankets, to coordinate with the hardware and cabin colour scheme. She collaborated on the latter with fellow canton of Zug resident Patrick Lindon, creator of the T71 furniture system sold worldwide and represented in Zurich’s Museum of Design. For Lindon and his team, the demands of modern society serve as the criteria for their creations; reliability, energy efficiency and pollution minimalisation are of primary importance, necessitating creative solutions in applying light-weight materials to produce comfortable seats and appealing interior design. The resulting award-winning “Best Business Class” cabin has not only yielded kudos for SWISS, but lowered both the airline’s fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Credit is due to another Swiss company as well. Lantal, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of textiles and carpeting for use in aircraft and other public transport, is the enterprise behind the pneumatic comfort system that replaces foam with air and permits passengers to adjust their seat cushions for maximum comfort. That comfort includes a peaceful environment; beyond the seat, Lantal also developed sound-absorbing curtains to reduce noise from the galley area entering the passenger cabin.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, there have been complaints from a few ornery passengers on SWISS about things “not being in the right place,” but what is design if not a challenge to the status quo? Like writing twelve-tone music or inventing a flush toilet, improving inflight experience is obviously an unacceptable form of progress for some. With continued growth in Asia (SWISS is introducing nonstop flights between Zurich and Beijing in early 2012), where the standard of airline cabins and service often surpass the offerings of US and European airlines, it is obvious that SWISS understands the global nature of the competition it faces and takes action to stay in the game rather than watch its market share eroded by savvy competitors who know good design in the air is a considerable factor in financial profitability on the ground.

Articel by text by Robert La Bua

Nicolas Roche, head of Roche-Bobois

Innovation in furniture doesn’t always work, as even such a genius as Thomas Alva Edison found out, when he tried promoting furniture made of a special light cement. But the consumer wants modern. One company head has managed by aligning the customer demands, designer talent and sustainable materials.

An architect for 20 years, one who headed a team of 20 people, Nicolas Roche achieved success on his own away from the family business. When the founders of Roche Bobois decided to retire five years ago, Nicolas was finally persuaded to step into the shoes of his father and uncle. In fact, he had not been totally removed from the enormous success of the family empire. His architectural firm designed the spaces for several Roche Bobois stores, allowing him insight into the furniture business from a less common but no less creative perspective. As he incisively indicates, “creating objects is always the story of shapes, colours, materials, and style.”

This basic tenet serves Nicolas Roche well in his capacity as head of Roche Bobois’ contemporary line of furniture. As a business born in the 1960s, “the essence of Roche Bobois is contemporary furniture,” says Nicolas. “Many customers indicated an interest in mixing old furniture and new creations, so we thought it would be interesting to provide the answers.” This is how the Provinciales line came about.

A balance between materials and techniques, such as the specialised lacquer process, is crucial. In some cases, more than one designer will be invited to work on a collection. When choosing one, relationships and familiarity are important. Roche knows he can trust such designers as Christophe Delcourt, with whom he has been collaborating for as long as he himself has been working at the company. Not every outstanding designer is in the employ of Roche Bobois, though. “There are other people. We see their work for other companies and we ask them if they would like to collaborate with us if we feel their style is compatible with our DNA and that person understands our market.”

To find good designers, the company is willing to look far and wide. “We take talent from everywhere, we have a design competition every two years,” says Roche emphatically. “The first one – 2009 – took place in China intentionally, because the Chinese are very creative people.” It was a good choice. This competition resulted in many collections from Chinese designers of all ages. One of the designers discovered in China is Beijing Academy Of Arts graduate Song Wen Zhong, creator of Roche Bobois’ first-ever plastic injection chair, Ava, which has been in stores since this summer.

Director’s cut? The Syntaxe chair

While Roche Bobois has looked toward Asia for creative input, it refrains from doing so for natural resources. The company keeps to European suppliers and manufacturers; all wood, for example comes from France, Portugal, and other places on the continent. Roche started to raise the issue of ecological awareness as soon as he entered the company. Up to that point, it had not been addressed by the previous management. “It started with the very famous Legend Collection by Christophe Delcourt, which was a huge success,” he remembers. “Now, we have new processes and new ways of thinking. Each time we have the opportunity to make a choice between one way to do it or another way that is more respectful of the environment, we choose the right one even if it is a little more expensive.”

Article by by Robert La Bua

One of the reasons why freelancers do not work too well in big organisations is because they are self-motivators. Having bosses standing over them worrying about bottom lines is about as inspiring as being hit in the face with a sock full of wet sand. The question is, how do designers work in industry and still remain creative.

Caviezel’s Riom seating arrangement, spacious with cool colours

New York-based Art Freaks’ artist and photograph Olaf Breuning’s dishes and salad bowls “Hallau” are visibly joyful, effervescent, literally spurting with primary colours. Claudia Caviezel, award winning textile designer, puts together sober lines and playful tints of fresh and warm colours in her couches “Riom” and decorative cushions “Morissen”. The throw pillows and cushions are definitely a reminder of the psychedelic Sixties and Seventies, but, Caviezel says, “I simply wanted to evoke happiness and colours with my work”.

Looking at the new design collection of Atelier Pfister 2011 gives a feel of “bring it on”. It resembles a mosaic of furniture and interior design in bright and contrasting colours. The lines are pure and elegant; the forms evocative. There is power in the graphics conveyed in sideboards, couches, geometric rugs, folded and draped cabinets and smart coat stands. Whether made of wooden planks, leather or fabrics, the chairs are contemporary. The massive wood tables marry functionality and durability.

Free rein

It’s all a part of the strategy by Pfister CEO Meinrad Fleischmann to rejuvenate the brand, which had become somewhat staid over the years. The kindling idea came when he met Alfredo Häberli at the latter’s retrospective “SurroundThings” in 2008 at the Museum of Design Zurich. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Häberli was 13 when his family resettled in Switzerland in 1977. Today, the young boy has grown into an inquisitive and energetic designer who continues to make great strides in the world of design. His architecture and interior design, as well as his furniture and product design works solicit respect and admiration. His works are featured in publications and museums exhibits, and his product lines are found in important furniture shops here and abroad. He continues to work for some of the leading companies of the international design industry, of which to name a few: Alias, BD Barcelona, Camper, Georg Jensen, Schiffini and Vitra.

“Twenty years ago, I was always happy when I got some financial help for my projects,” the Zurich-based designer reveals. His voice is calm and belies the powerful energy and emotions expressed in his works. Häberli is known to combine innovation, joy and energy in his design. “I had this desire to help young and promising designers and studios to find a platform for their work,” Häberli continues. And that is something he has done, letting young Swiss designers have the kind of freedom they need to work.

Internationally known fashion artist and illustrator François Berthoud created a series of “black and white” plates and ceramic jars called “La côte aux fées” designed with fishnets stockings. The result is provocative: vases encased in voluptuous and elegant forms.

Annette Douglas, one of Switzerland’s leading textile and fabrics talents combines fine design and technical expertise in her fabric works. She is known for her acoustic textiles and for her curtains that absorb noise. For the Atelier, she remained within her bailiwick, producing a series of delicate and warm fabrics for curtains. And then, for a romantic evening in the 21st century, light up Nicolas le Moigne’s candlesticks lacquered either in black or white powder paint.

The gravy train

“Atelier Pfister’s project of gathering and working with different designers and workshops created a big studio which provided a unique chance for a designer like me to work with, learn and be inspired,” says Moritz Schmid. “It’s not only for the new Swiss design furniture label but as well for my future projects,” he says. Schmid reinvented a series of round tables called “Forst” with a neatly executed triangular support and unusual wooden chairs, the “Eriz,” with interchangeable coloured supports. For his Eriz chair of the Atelier Pfister collection, Schmid received the Swiss Design Federal Award 2010, an annual prize given by the Swiss government to the most innovative young Swiss designers.

Schmid’s enthusiasm with the project is obvious, but the dependency of designers on the financial emoluments of a large company do raise certain questions about the dangers of commercialisation. Can creativity really be free from the wishes, no matter how subtle, of the piper’s paymaster? For Jitzer Kramer, director of Brand-ID Switzerland, “it’s a win-win case”. Or is it more a question of there being no longer any sub-cultures to conquer, as there is not virgin territory on the planet.

Today, Häberli, speaks with satisfaction of the collection composed of more than a hundred unique objects. The works stir emotions and raise questions, which is one of the purposes of design. Switzerland is home to many excellent and innovative designers. “The challenge,” says Alfredo Häberli, an internationally established and highly respected Swiss designer, “is how to help these young talents establish their own names or studios”.

Out of the closet

When it comes to tradition, craftsmanship, forms and patterns, graphics, colours, textures and noble materials, nothing comprises more richness and diversity as carpets. Today however, there is more to acquiring one of these treasures and just being satisfied with exquisite and beautiful carpet design. Although prized for their beauty and quality craftsmanship, carpets may hide a dark side behind especially if the appalling image surges of weavers, mostly women and children, living in dire poverty and inhuman working conditions.

The global demand for carpets has increased with globalisation in the 1990s. During the same period, the plight of exploited child carpet weavers associated with the Nepali-Tibetan carpet production spawned a great deal of protest from organisations involved in child protection or labour protection. Author and social-cultural anthropologist Tom O’Neill conducted extensive fieldwork in Nepal since 1993 and published Child Labour in the Tibeto-Nepalese Carpet Industry in 2009, in which he vividly describes the haunting conditions of children abused in the carpet weaving industry and how, even after measures were taken by the government and human and labour rights NGOs to correct the practice, abuse seems to be continuing.

O’Neill writes that the carpet industry in Nepal has been sullied by the “abusive child labour” label attached to it especially during the boom of the industry in the early 1990s. Children and labour rights organisations have managed to include different fair-trade labelling methods and start programmes that institute strict rules to fight against child abuse. Among those organisations is Label STEP, which was founded in 1995 to cover the carpet importing industry of Switzerland. It was taken over by the Max Havelaar Foundation and has established strict conditions for the carpet suppliers to guarantee that workers live with better working conditions. To give its guidelines some teeth, the organisation conducts regular monitoring of the production sites of suppliers and licensees to make sure that sustainable production methods are being implemented.

When Label STEP was launched by the development organisation Berne Declaration, along with other NGOs such as Bread for All and Caritas Switzerland, Pfister was among the first enterprises on board. Reto Aschwanden, commercial director of Label STEP, admits that “tight collaboration with big carpet companies such as Pfister is essential in keeping the survival of the carpet industry”. Indeed, Nepal’s carpet weaving is in decline in part due to the stigma brought about by the publicising of the abused and exploited children in the carpet industry for the financial gain of the few. Actually, a fair working environment with commensurate pay in Nepal’s most important cottage industry is crucial to alleviate poverty and in turn dismantle one of the major causes of child exploitation.

Future less tense

The results, at any rate, speak for themselves. The money generated from the carpet industry in Nepal has supported projects like building schools, establishing day-care centres, adult education and vocational training, as well as environmental protection. Today, Nepal is a hub of modern carpet design and a laboratory of design innovation for young designers like Jan Kath who works closely with Label STEP. Designer and stylist Lela Scherrer of Atelier Pfister also elaborated her carpet “Altreau” in a tight collaboration with the labelling NGO. Even on the consumer end things have improved. Niels Blaettler, responsible for Pfister’s carpet sector, has seen a positive outcome from Pfister’s collaboration with STEP. “Our clients are more and more interested with the story behind our products,” says Blaettler. “And because Label STEP membership means that all handmade carpets must follow fair-trade rules, our customers recognise and reward the credibility of our commitment.”

Custom-made carpets

Pfister houses the largest number of carpet outlets in Switzerland, and the widest collection of different kinds from the finest wool to the most exquisite silk carpets from principal carpet producing countries like Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kirghizstan, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan and Turkey – all of which the Label STEP operates. Clients who may not find their joy on Persian rugs or Hereke silk may ask Pfister’s custom-made service to create their dream carpets for them. For more information: www.pfister.ch – www.atelierpfister.ch

Article by Jane Demaurex

If there ever was a leitmotiv for creativity that connects the centuries, it is that great works of art, be they in music, literature, plastic and visual arts, or even design, often seem so simple and logical in their being. It is deceiving for the most part, because these works are all the product of a sometimes long process that may not have been easy at all.

Inspiration is not always visible to the naked eye

Everyone knows, one should never see sausages or laws being made. Perhaps a longer look at the birth of some of the great works of art, while not revolting or shocking, might at least raise an eyebrow or two. Einstein’s 99% perspiration rule applies, naturally, but it’s the remaining 1% that is of greatest interest, the inspiration that gave rise to the work, which can be banal, but also strange, even contradictory. The German poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller, for example, apparently found the smell of rotting apples very inspiring. For Richard Wagner, it was the feeling of velvet under his fingers. Picasso’s Guernica is self-explanatory, of course.

Even less elaborate works require intervention from the Muses in one form or another. Lucas Ruppli, for example, age 43, married, two children goes to work daily for Furrer- Jacot, leading creator of wedding bands. He has worked at the company for over 20 years and is essentially self-taught. Like many of his colleagues, he keeps abreast of all sorts of design-related developments in, say, architecture, or surface coverings, “the various trends, technical things,” he says. He also needs peace of mind, physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. But the spark itself emerges from something deeper, something that triggers a chain of thoughts that will lead to a wedding band. “I combine things that might not fit together,” he says in a calm and reserved voice, “for example, how can I make a wedding ring out of a pigeon that has been run over?”

It may sound provocative on the surface, but it makes sense, more it may be one of the fundamental laws of creativity: Ruppli needs the mental tension, the dissonance that seeks a resolution in a finished product. When the happy couples purchase his wedding bands then, the tension is present as well as the resolution, certainly an excellent prospect for a healthy and harmonious marriage.

Article by Marton Radkai

By now you’ve arrived at page 80 and surely realised that the theme of this splendid edition of Swiss Style is Design. If you haven’t realised it, do please wake up and pay attention at the back. It’s too bad that some of us go to the trouble of writing for you and you’re not taking it in. Actually, I’m not taking much in either as I gaze out at the magnificent yachts moored in front of me in Cannes harbour. Almost without exception, they have individual design attributes that make me gasp. With envy and pleasure.

There’s the Lady Moura, a $210 million super-yacht with a 25-metre dining table made by Viscount Linley (for goodness sake, you know, the British Queen’s nephew; do get a grip) and an entire beach resort that hydraulically slides out of the side of the yacht, complete with palm trees and loungers. No, really, I’m not making this up. Promise. Nassir Al-Rashid is the owner.

Roman Abramovich has his $1.6 billion boy-toy, a 167- metre monster that needs 70 crew for the eleven guests. This comes with an on-board submarine, two helicopters and three boats, natch. But for sheer vulgarity, one has to look at the $3 billion gold plated tub being built for a Malaysian entrepreneur. It’s called History Supreme, designed by the UK jeweller, Stuart Hughes.

Looking from Cannes harbour over to the Iles Lérins, you might fancy a little boat trip. Certainly not on The History Supreme one hopes. The ferry takes about 15 minutes but if you decide to borrow a boat and do it yourself, it will take about 28 days because of all the up, down and sideways moves you’ll make. For obscure reasons, this is called tacking. Which makes no sense to me either.

I’d always thought tacking was what the odd job man did if I wanted another Rembrandt stuck up on the wall. English is full of deadly traps for the unwary. Confusingly, tacking is also a legal term relating to prioritising between two or more security interests arising over the same asset. Do we really want to go there? No, I thought not either. Of course, you’ll need a boat. Do wake up, please, I’m putting a great deal of effort into this. Major categories here include tankers, galleons, whalers, pirate ships and liners. The pirate ships are in Somalia, the galleons on the Spanish main or Disneyland: which basically leaves you with liners and tankers, both of which are in plentiful supply in Cannes harbour or nearby. You’ll have to supply your own “god-daughters” or “nieces” though – all blonde and with deliciously long legs naturellement.

Unquestionably, the best kind of boat is one that someone else has paid for and has extensively insured against your bumping into other boats, lighthouses or rocks. It’s useful if the owner is also a Yacht Club member or Commodore of the Club, with unlimited credit facilities at the bar and restaurant. The boat must come with a large and competent crew who understand nautical charts, nautical knot tying and nautical vernacular such as “Aye, aye me hearties”. Any Captain Birds- Eye lookalikes should be closely questioned as to their true nautical abilities beyond frying up a dish of fish fingers.

Inevitably, some of your passengers will become decidedly queasy. You should then stop to snack on oysters and garlic butter snails to settle their stomachs. This will make some of them suicidal. If you’ve been fortunate enough to have borrowed Mr. Al-Rashid’s Lady Moura, have a deck hand push the button that sends the beach resort sliding out of the boat and have the more queasy of your guests lie on the beach chairs as they digest their slippery and greasy snacks amidst the vigorous, bracing swell of the ocean.

Heigh ho, a Designers life on the ocean wave,
and Jolly boating weather, And a hay harvest breeze,
Blade on the feather, Shade off the trees, Swing, swing together, With the blade between your knees.
(Or, in this case, your head between your knees.)

Lighting is the ultimate design effect. Paradoxically, though, the best interior lighting effect is not even perceived. Because light is all around us, it is often taken for granted, as the great Nasrudin pointed out: The moon is more important than the sun, because it’s light during the day anyway. But we still need lighting specialists, as Robert La Bua finds out.

The artificial sky at Bartenbach Lichtlabor - photo: Peter Bartenbach, Munich

The concept of lighting design as a tool in a larger interior design plan is a relatively new phenomenon that has enjoyed strong growth thanks to recent scientific advances in the production of artificial light. A century ago, a crystal chandelier in the centre of the room was considered the non plus ultra of electric light fixtures; that chandelier was itself a technological advancement over the candle-holding predecessor from which its name is derived. Today, numerous lighting options exist from a variety of sources. The formerly omnipresent and comparatively inefficient incandescent bulb is being replaced by light produced from fluorescent, lightemitting diodes (LED), and high-intensity discharge (HID) sources. As in every other aspect of design, new technology is spurring creativity on the field.

One of Switzerland’s leading companies in its field, Zurich-based d’lite lichtdesign adroitly embraces the latest possibilities in lighting design. It has realised a number of notable projects around the country with an artistic flair to complement the functionality of lighting needs, as shown to great effect in the implementation of Christoph T. Hunziker’s brilliantly original lighting design for Zurich’s Leutschenpark. Other d’lite lichtdesign projects include everything from highway viaducts to public swimming pools and museum buildings.

Perhaps it is the play of Alpine colours and light that encourages thinkers to see lighting in new ways. Switzerland’s neighbour to the east is a surprising locus for research and development of new techniques in lighting design. As any visitor to Lobmayr’s dazzling Kärntner Straße showroom in Vienna can tell you, the Austrians have known a thing or two about lighting for a long time. The interest in lighting continues today in the quietly innovative Tyrol region, where just outside Innsbruck lies the modest headquarters of one of the world’s leading light design companies, Bartenbach Lichtlabor. A round building constructed with maximum thought to natural daylight, the Bartenbach Lichtlabor headquarters is itself a prime example of the use of light in the most energy-efficient manner possible. For both natural and artificial light applications, the company undertakes extensive research before applying it to the clients’ needs; sometimes it invents research tools for its own use. A white dome sitting at one end of an expansive room enables Bartenbach Lichtlabor to replicate the daylight at any given time of day on any point on Earth. This artificial sky, six metres in diameter, allows for viewing three-dimensional models of buildings to observe the effects and results of exterior lighting strategies in ways not possible in digital simulation.

One of Bartenbach’s most ambitious projects was a plan to use large heliostats (turning mirrors) to ref lect winter sunlight into the Alpine town of Rattenberg, where the nearby Rat Mountain blocks direct sunlight in the coldest months of the year. With its artificial sky, Bartenbach Lichtlabor has been able to take on some very large projects ranging from imposing edifices making statements of power to sacred buildings where lighting must be particularly sensitive to the spirituality of the venue. From the intimate public rooms of Zurich’s stunning Widder Hotel to the Roche Convention Center in Buonas (ZG) and the even larger Basel Trade Fair, Bartenbach Lichtlabor has a wellestablished presence in Switzerland – though, as is the case with welldesigned lighting systems, you may not have even noticed.

Article by Robert La Bua

“Design is not decoration,” says design historian Alexandra Midal, freelance curator, professor and Head of Master Design programmes at the HEAD – Geneva University of Art and Design. “Design is much more than plain style. It is so much better than that, it is a space of production of senses and of creation.” Josephine Simon interviewed her for Swiss Style and came up with some surprising data.

Matali Crasset’s «Le blobterre de matali» at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (October 1, 2011 – March 8, 2012) crosses the lines between design, art and utilitarian. Extractoof designed by HEAD – Genève students Project directed by Alexandra Midal Photography: Simon Bouisson

Ms. Midal, what is your definition of the term “design”?

Alexandra Midal: It depends on who is using it. There is no “right” definition, all are contestable, because they are all linked to opinions, statements and individual points of view. In the same way we cannot give a definition to contemporary art, design cannot be defined. In a mindset of extreme simplification, some stipulate that design is automatically linked to functionalism, it is an approach that is historically influenced by the modernist movement, in an historically transitional period, but which does not suffice at all to define design.

So there is no real definition of design. Then how does design come about?

Every time we try to define the term “design,” we are restraining it, limiting its reach. We usually do it easily, facilitating the process through language. But I think that one aspect of design is often forgotten: design is a way to view and consider life. That must be remembered above all. It is absurd to just limit design to objects, even industrial ones. It is not the final object, the material result that allows us to understand the components and constituents belonging to the object. I think that design is a history, an intention, even more than a way of thinking, it is an exchange. It is certainly not pure functionalism, which is, in a way, the basics, the ABC of design.

Design reaches way beyond objects, it is a way of thinking, living and interacting. The history of design has established itself in a fight against the industrial production system, it is even born to protest against it. Design is essentially linked to the evolution of social norms and relationships too, but design goes further than social and technological revolutions in the fact that it changes the way we think and interact. A popular example is the use of mobile phones or social media, which transforms the way we relate to each other.

Your PhD from Princeton University rewards months of research in the design field, it makes you one of the rare design historians testifying about this discipline. How do you theorise design and how do you conduct your research to establish theses?

Retracing the history of design is not only researching about the production method of an object and the time in which it was produced. It is researching opinions, what designers at that time really thought, what their intent was. The form is, of course, important, but inside there is the intent, the way of thinking of the artist/designer. The point of my research, what I am interested in, is to know what authors, critics and designers were thinking when they produced their works.

Some think design should be accessible for everyone, while others think that “great design” is like art, expensive and collectable. Other design theorists and thinkers pretend that the practice of design has lost its ideal – i.e., making life easier and more beautiful – and integrity because of a globalised capitalist influence. Do you see a change in the understanding and consumption of design objects nowadays?

As a design historian and teacher I cannot comment on market trends, consumption ideals, etc… As a teacher I heartily recommend my design students not to think in terms of consumers and clients but to be as serious, honest and rigorous as possible. I encourage them to be exacting with themselves in their work. Their final reward is the public’s interaction with the final object, if they want to touch it, sit on it and examine it.

What are, in your opinion, tomorrow’s challenges in the designing of objects?

I think that people do not want standardised objects anymore, they want customised, or customisable items. What is important for designers coming out of design schools nowadays is to have their own approach and vocabulary of design and stand by their creations. We are aware of the influence of the connection between the space we occupy, the objects we use or on which we rest our bodies. This interaction between us and our environment shapes our way of living, working and interacting with others. The environments we create also have political power, it means that they shape the way we act. New designers reinvent the connection we already have with the environment, and by doing so, revolutionise the way we live.

Interview by Joséphine Simon