Page 81 - Enlightenment Magazine - July 2013

ItalIan InspIratIon

EM: What was your overall
impression of Euroluce?
SO: It was fantastic. No other country
in the world nurtures artists, designers,
and architects as much as Italy does.
The culture of design is what propels the
Milan fair into a continuous renaissance
of products, emotions, technological
advances, and a huge global business
market. America has a lot to learn in
this area. For example, it must learn to
consider designers as an asset and not
a liability. As more U.S. companies show
in Milan and other international markets,
this will change. I must say that for the
frst time, Ford Motor Company was
at Euroluce with a chair, a watch, and
an LED lamp. I applaud Ford for going
beyond cars and entering the residential
home furnishings market.

EM: What impressed you
most as a designer?
SO: I appreciate the
intellectual philosophies,
the evolutionary directions,
and the blend of litle-known
student talents as well as the
mega-renowned architects
such as Zaha Hadid, Daniel
Libeskind, and Jean Nouvel,
whose lighting designs were
shown at Euroluce along
with a special presentation
in Pavilion 24 called Ofce
for Living. These great
personalities bring inspiration,
provoke revolutionary ideas,
and encourage artists and
designers to adopt a fearless
atitude to express their ideas
freely. Their kind of thinking
truly challenges the status quo
of the design business in Milan
with a global resonance.

July 2013 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 79