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| Design - Interviews@3LC | |
| Tuesday, 10 April 2007 | |
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Clémence
Krzentowski
Passionate about design, Clémence and husband Didier are long time design collectors who turned their vast personal collection and expertise in and passion for contemporary design into a Parisian gallery named kreo seven years ago. As their collections evolved, kreo began to collaborate with designers to produce coveted one-off and limited edition pieces. In this way, Clémence and Didier took the concept of the limited edition piece one step further and became protagonists themselves in the design world they so much love. The recent high prices fetched by pieces by contemporary designers like the Campana Brothers, Marc Newson and Zaha Hadid have made it to international news and financial media, and accompanying the stories is always kreo’s name. kreo has become an incubator for valid pieces, a “laboratory-space dedicated to the research of the artists involved,” by established designers like the Bouroullecs, Martin Szkeley, Jerzsy Seymour, and Ettore Sottsass as well as newer designers like Wieki Somers and Julia Lohmann. Just in case you're wondering, it's pronounced "Krentowski"...as if there were no Z. (Above, image of "A White Show" , current exhibit at Galerie Kreo until 14 April. Lamp by Alessandro Mendini (2002) for Bisazza. Below, image of Jerszy Seymour exhibit, Lowlife, 2003. images Copyright Marc Domage, courtesy Galerie Kreo)
Describe the evolution of kreo. We wanted to open a Gallery because we knew the designers and we found that there was no place for them to experiment. Some companies asked them to create furniture and objects, but always with important marketing and technical specifications. We wanted something else… We wanted to let them work freely, so we created that opportunity. For example, we never say “we want a chair, at a certain price, for this kind of customer etc…”. We say, “do what you want to do”. And most of the time it’s a story they want to tell. If we like it, we produce the pieces, exhibit and sell them. So the Galerie doesn’t commission pieces so to speak, but has a “right of first refusal” for the creative pieces of certain designers? It is much more collaboration. Over the years, we have developed a very strong relationship with the designers. They create special exhibits and pieces for the Gallery. As these pieces are created feely, they are very often innovative and difficult to produce. Making an exhibit takes 1 to 2.5 years, so that can give you an idea of the time and work that goes into producing a piece and into putting together an exhibit. If someone proposes a piece to the Galerie that can be a mass produced item, we will say no and we will recommend to develop it with mass production companies. We are more interested in research pieces.
What emotion would you
use to describe the work process and working with a designer on a new
piece? Is it a deep passion, are there
typical ‘job’-like aspects of it, or is it like a fairy tale? It’s always a passion, that’s for sure.
Sometimes it’s a fairytale, sometimes it is not, but it is always passionate! (Below: Orgone Lounge by Marc Newson) 
What is the
relationship between the designer, you, and the piece? What speaks to you first? How much does the designer’s story (or the
piece’s story) influence how you view a piece?
It’s difficult to answer this generally because
it’s always different for each piece.
Sometimes I don’t understand anything, and that’s what hits me first and
also what I like. Sometimes I am shocked or surprised. Sometimes I know the
designer’s work so well, I can figure out what the designer wants to tell
through the new piece. I am interested when I feel there is something more
about the piece than what we can see.
Design is everywhere now. I think more and more people are interested
in design. Design is a cue from society. Look at cars,
hotels, computers, fridges, kids’ bedrooms etc… It’s changing everywhere. Serious collectors will go for something
that’s really new and different. Then there are non-collectors who react
instinctively and have an appreciation for aesthetic appeal. But once that
impact is registered, most of the time they want to know more about the
designer, more about the piece, their reaction changes. Then, some will also discover a designer’s
point of view or a designer’s attitude, and they will learn more about the
piece and about how the designer sees the world now. Design is to me functional, cultural, and also
political in a way. It has always to deal with a personal and ethical view.
These kind of pieces will tell us about the
time when they were created, and the place where they were created, the way
they were produced... A great piece also tells about the questions
and interrogations the designers were interested in: production, materials, and social
implications… I think these kind of “witness” pieces will last. (Left: Honda Vase by R+E Bouroullec, Kreo exclusive)
Again, I can’t answer generally. If you have to consider everything: time,
money, projected costs… pieces are expensive to make, especially handmade
pieces, and they have always been quite expensive, even ten years ago,
relatively speaking. But it’s also true that, talking about some
pieces, there’s no link between these factors and the price. It’s just that now people realize these
pieces are rare (twelve of them, or a limited number). It is also true that I’m surprised myself. As design
is becoming fashionable… some prices are really not realistic!
So is it art, or
design?
It is Design. And it is also part of the
“contemporary art world”: pieces, artists, exhibits, auctions, and books…We do not really care any more about the
boundaries between artistic fields.
Which three design
pieces would you put in a time capsule today, which say the most about you,
kreo and the times we live in? Definitely I would go with one of my favourites “T5” Étagère by Martin Szekely (Below). The thickness is unbelievable. It’s 5mm thick only and you can put whatever on it. There’s no beginning and no end. You can have three units or fifty. And I can’t imagine going into a time capsule without my books!! Then, ideally I need something for my flowers, so I’d take a vase, the Honda by the Bouroullecs. And then I would say the Orgone Stretch Lounge by Marc Newson to lie down.
Is your vision (in
terms of pieces you’d exhibit/hold in your gallery) global, or are there
particular countries or markets which you follow? Which have you started to notice more? It’s global. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this ever, but it’s kind of weird to me when people say they don’t understand a culture so they can’t get into a piece. I think the work can be interesting regardless of the people, the culture, and of course at the same time it can be more interesting because of the people and the culture! In terms of countries, I really felt a few years ago, and I still feel, that there was a “north wind”, like with Droog and of course with Hella Jongerius. I feel the northern influence in some works, but then the designers have their own personality and way of seeing the world. But usually, maybe I’m wrong, I don’t feel it’s a group thing. Sometimes it is as if people want to act like a group, but it’s more individual attitude, then of course you don’t care where they come from East or West.
What motivates you? In French… “avoir envie” … that could be translated as “being eager to, wanting, being keen to…"
A birthday cake, full of candles/lights... that reminds me of Didier’s light collection...but also of joy, new things to happen, promises...In five years, a bigger birthday cake!
First thing you notice
in a restaurant? Eating what food brings back the best memories?
French crepes,
“Regalad” and “Sugus” candies, “Galak” white chocolate
The first piece of
furniture you bought for your home?
Best deal (or best
flea market find) you’ve gotten on a piece of furniture. Where is it now?
No home is complete
without… You’ll always pick up the magazine if _nice pair of shoes_ is on the cover… __ My Newson watch. ___. I never leave home without it.
You can never have too
many… |
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