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Interview with designer Dzmitry Samal
"New Rétro-Futurism", aka a meeting point between the cultural heritage and aesthetic of great design from the past and new production techniques. This is what fuels the work of Belarusian designer Dzmitry Samal.
Born in 1981, Dzmitry has a multifaceted background. His studies took place at the Belarusian Technical University, Belarusian Academy of Art and an Audi scholarship opens the doors to a Master’s in car design at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan. After a first job in Turin at Stile Bertone, where he participates in numerous projects concerned with production and concept cars, he then moves to Paris, to work for Renault. In 2010 he founds his own design studio and brand, Samal. Today, Dzmitry primarily designs fashion accessories, furniture and interiors.
How do you combine a vision that is both futuristic and retro into new contemporary designs?
I think it is not only about looking back to the 50s, 60s and 80s but more about being inspired by ideas of people from the past who were thinking about how the future will be, and to use this material to create new objects... An example in car design is "streamlining".
Why did you shift from automotive design to that of furniture and fashion accessories?
I believe there is much less room for creation in car design than when one works with more simple and small objects, like eyewear or chairs. Also the car is a very expensive object with regards to production and development, so brands are being very careful with their budget and with everything that is new. They often prefer evolution to revolution, in other words they just do styling.
What are the possible synergies between the fashion and the automotive industry with regards to innovative design?
For me the term innovation in design equals sustainability, creation of a new function, using new ecological materials, finding new solutions. Fashion is a very special branch of art, it is about appearance, lifestyle, imposing social status, communicating certain messages, so in general I think that a background in fashion can bring much less innovation to car design, rather than vice versa. But there is another aspect of fashion that I want to mention, and that is that fashion is very connected to Pop art and the collaboration between cool fashion/design brands and car companies can bring new dimensions to the image and perception of a car brand.
For fashion, cars are the sort of inspiration that is not very cool, but the opposite can work well. Examples are the Fiat 500 by Gucci and Diesel, or the Bugatti Veyron by Hermes.
So far what has been the product that has given you the most satisfaction and why?
For now it is glasses, but it could be anything, what’s important is that the idea works, that people love it, buy it and enjoy using it. In the near future I will try to extend my brand of glasses to include watches and handbags.
Your eyewear line presents a different inspiration for each model. Could you describe them?
The series is called "Pixel glasses" and comes in a 4dpi, 5dpi, 6dpi and 7dpi style. These futuristic glasses have been designed with a pixelated effect, deliberately reflecting society’s fascination with an "informational aesthetic". The design clearly refers to late 1980s computerized graphics and videogames such as Tetris. While computer images and graphics have been revolutionized over the past two decades, these glasses are reminiscent of society’s digital roots and how technology has inspired almost everything in use today.
The "Intersection1", "Intersection 2" and "06" styles are based on the principle of intersecting shapes. "Leonard" and "Structural" were designed by overlapping irregular shapes and lines.
The glasses are entirely manufactured in France using modern technologies and handwork know-how. We are using acetate with 60% natural cellulose.
How do you think the process of creating will evolve in 10 years’ time? What meaning do you envision for the word "design"?
I think we won’t have any more copyrights, we will be more cooperative and less competitive. Production will be much easier, thanks to 3D printers and nanotechnologies.
For me Design is a way of living, thinking and doing things with consideration for the environment.
What are the biggest threat and the biggest opportunity in the world of furniture design today?
We are observing an interesting wave of self-production. Instead of manufacturing their designs with Kartell, Capellini or Vitra (which is almost impossible if you are not famous), designers are starting to build their own small structures and producing, often in very small quantities, their handmade pieces. I believe it is a great opportunity for the development of design in general and especially it allows the preservation of traditional technological know-how, which is very important.
How would you design the new Lancia Delta to adapt it to the modern lifestyle?
I would make it more aggressive and sporty, just because it works. One of my favorite cars is Lancia Thesis. She is so beautiful. I love the classic, very Italian lines and proportions, but unfortunately it is no longer being produced, maybe because the design was too "gentle" and soft. For Delta I would also try to use more innovative solutions in terms of materials and technologies as well as doing collaborations with interesting artists, designers and stylists.
Photos via samaldesign.com
Born in 1981, Dzmitry has a multifaceted background. His studies took place at the Belarusian Technical University, Belarusian Academy of Art and an Audi scholarship opens the doors to a Master’s in car design at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan. After a first job in Turin at Stile Bertone, where he participates in numerous projects concerned with production and concept cars, he then moves to Paris, to work for Renault. In 2010 he founds his own design studio and brand, Samal. Today, Dzmitry primarily designs fashion accessories, furniture and interiors.
How do you combine a vision that is both futuristic and retro into new contemporary designs?
I think it is not only about looking back to the 50s, 60s and 80s but more about being inspired by ideas of people from the past who were thinking about how the future will be, and to use this material to create new objects... An example in car design is "streamlining".
Why did you shift from automotive design to that of furniture and fashion accessories?
I believe there is much less room for creation in car design than when one works with more simple and small objects, like eyewear or chairs. Also the car is a very expensive object with regards to production and development, so brands are being very careful with their budget and with everything that is new. They often prefer evolution to revolution, in other words they just do styling.
What are the possible synergies between the fashion and the automotive industry with regards to innovative design?
For me the term innovation in design equals sustainability, creation of a new function, using new ecological materials, finding new solutions. Fashion is a very special branch of art, it is about appearance, lifestyle, imposing social status, communicating certain messages, so in general I think that a background in fashion can bring much less innovation to car design, rather than vice versa. But there is another aspect of fashion that I want to mention, and that is that fashion is very connected to Pop art and the collaboration between cool fashion/design brands and car companies can bring new dimensions to the image and perception of a car brand.
For fashion, cars are the sort of inspiration that is not very cool, but the opposite can work well. Examples are the Fiat 500 by Gucci and Diesel, or the Bugatti Veyron by Hermes.
So far what has been the product that has given you the most satisfaction and why?
For now it is glasses, but it could be anything, what’s important is that the idea works, that people love it, buy it and enjoy using it. In the near future I will try to extend my brand of glasses to include watches and handbags.
Your eyewear line presents a different inspiration for each model. Could you describe them?
The series is called "Pixel glasses" and comes in a 4dpi, 5dpi, 6dpi and 7dpi style. These futuristic glasses have been designed with a pixelated effect, deliberately reflecting society’s fascination with an "informational aesthetic". The design clearly refers to late 1980s computerized graphics and videogames such as Tetris. While computer images and graphics have been revolutionized over the past two decades, these glasses are reminiscent of society’s digital roots and how technology has inspired almost everything in use today.
The "Intersection1", "Intersection 2" and "06" styles are based on the principle of intersecting shapes. "Leonard" and "Structural" were designed by overlapping irregular shapes and lines.
The glasses are entirely manufactured in France using modern technologies and handwork know-how. We are using acetate with 60% natural cellulose.
How do you think the process of creating will evolve in 10 years’ time? What meaning do you envision for the word "design"?
I think we won’t have any more copyrights, we will be more cooperative and less competitive. Production will be much easier, thanks to 3D printers and nanotechnologies.
For me Design is a way of living, thinking and doing things with consideration for the environment.
What are the biggest threat and the biggest opportunity in the world of furniture design today?
We are observing an interesting wave of self-production. Instead of manufacturing their designs with Kartell, Capellini or Vitra (which is almost impossible if you are not famous), designers are starting to build their own small structures and producing, often in very small quantities, their handmade pieces. I believe it is a great opportunity for the development of design in general and especially it allows the preservation of traditional technological know-how, which is very important.
How would you design the new Lancia Delta to adapt it to the modern lifestyle?
I would make it more aggressive and sporty, just because it works. One of my favorite cars is Lancia Thesis. She is so beautiful. I love the classic, very Italian lines and proportions, but unfortunately it is no longer being produced, maybe because the design was too "gentle" and soft. For Delta I would also try to use more innovative solutions in terms of materials and technologies as well as doing collaborations with interesting artists, designers and stylists.
Photos via samaldesign.com
06 April 2012
FIAT Group Automobiles S.p.A.