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Interview with Lila Demarcq |
Home > Designer Interviews > Lila Demarcq |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Lila Demarcq (LD) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Lila Demarcq by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
LD: Already a little girl, I made things with paper, cardboard and what I found in my house. Nobody has ever put barriers to me, I have always been able to develop my creativity. The desire to become a designer came later with this need to create with materials and forms that develop our sense of touch and offer a new way of seeing things. It was during my high school years in applied arts that I wanted to link this need to everyday objects of everyday life. It is a way to allow people to change their vision of use and thus discover new sensations.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
LD: I obtained my diploma of object design in June 2018 at the Higher School of Art and Design of Saint-Etienne, in France. For me, it was obvious to continue to create and make people dream with my ideas. So I started the job of independent designer. Today, I create objects that give free rein to people's imagination by creating a unity in space, giving new sensations and inspiring questions. I also want to create with a low carbon footprint, which is why I have all my objects manufactured in my department.
FS: What is "design" for you?
LD: For me, design is a form of art that can bond and mingle with any other practice. The objects that I create are, for me, as close to a useful object as to a sculpture. I try, by their forms and their different uses, to destroy the barriers that people are created unconsciously between these two practices. Behind a design object, there is a designer who created with love, with creativity, imagination, commitment. The artist is the same. The piece of art have a function, it conveys a message, it arouses emotions. Why put design and art into two distinct categories?
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
LD: I do not have any work that I prefer to work more than others. It all depends on the context of the creation.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
LD: I love working with metal but also wood, fabric, ceramic. I think I like a lot of different works. I often go home with dirty clothes but I say "you had a great day, you had fun! ". I am alsow interested today in new machines like laser cutting that I already use a lot. I think everything interests me!
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
LD: I’m creative when I take the time to rest, to enjoy life outside of work. I often have ideas on vacation or when I spend pleasant moments with my friends or my family. But sometimes, a small conversion gives me an idea. A single word makes me think of another, which makes me think of a form, which makes me think of a place, a noise ... etc until "... ho, but yes! ".
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
LD: For me, every aspect of design is important but the aspect that I develop the most is the story behind the object. In a design object, there isn’t only the aesthetic. It also has all the thoughts, emotions and memories of the designer, it's a bit like the hidden side of the iceberg, the one that the user discovers by wondering more. For me, it is not the fact of integrating noble and expensive materials in an object that makes it beautiful, it is simply the harmony and the beauty that is created between the aesthetic and the history of the object when you learn why and how the object was created.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
LD: When I design, I’m able to go through all kinds of emotions but it will always be positive emotions that will make me want to bring something new, change people's vision.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
LD: When my designs are made, I am proud of course but it is above all a sweet and pleasant happiness that overwhelms me because I finally managed to materialize a feeling. It's a lot of work but a lot of joy!
FS: What makes a design successful?
LD: If the design touches someone emotionally so much that they want to integrate it into their daily life, that they want to talk about it, then it's good, it's successful!
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
LD: If I have to judge a design, I will first seek to know the artist's path, which led him to create this object. Then of course it is necessary that the design is out of the ordinary and that we recognize the style of the designer through the object. It's harder and harder to invent something that has not been done yet but if the designer gets there and it’s works, then its won !
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
LD: The responsibility of the designer is to first allow the users to improve their daily life. It also requires that it pushes them to try things, ways of doing things, which they would not have thought. For me, it also means raising awareness about the purchase of objects that respect the environment, by their materials, the energy they consume and the low carbon footprint.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
LD: There is a lot of progress in all fields of design. I think designers contribute to creating a better world.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
LD: My last exhibition was in the Giardi Gallery in Saint-Etienne (France) during the International Biennale of Design of St-Etienne. In july I will alsow exhibit in Amal Gallery in Lyon (France).
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
LD: My design inspiration? Memories! Memories of all the countries I traveled in. The discovery of news landscapes, cultures, colors, smells… All this develops our senses !
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
LD: I would define my style as a dreamy design. What I have in mind is a little bit like this moment : after a long night full of images and ambiences, when we wake up but it is difficult to remember what we dreamed. There remains only sensations and uncertain forms. This gives hybrid forms that do not block the object in a specific function. It also gives a big artistic dimension to my work and I totally assume it. Art and design hold hands to become one!
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
LD: I live in France, in a UNESCO Design City called Saint-Etienne. I like the culture here, but I don’t create in link to Saint-Etienne. For the moment, my ideas come from far and exotic places. There is alsow a really good pros : an incredible number of craftsmen of all kinds. So I have incredible possibilities to make my objects.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
LD: My creative process is atypical: I remember a memory and I seek, through writing and drawing, to transcribe the feelings that are still in me. When I finally succeeded, I give a function to these words and forms. A function and an object that will always be related to my feelings. The rendering is always strange but works because it’s provoke questions. I hope to make them dream!
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
LD: I’m a young designer too so I will just say: do not get stuck in a field of art or design too precise. We must be opened to all the other practices that exist, we must observe everything, we must discuss, we must remember, we must daydream, but above all, stay a little crazy! Too much wisdom is not good either !
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
LD: I am an independent designer so I have to manage all the administration, that I hate. I prefer when I put my hands in grease! Otherwise, I don’t find any negative point from the fact that the beginning can be difficult ! But I really like my job!
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
LD: Dream of course! Do not put any barriers to you! If you want to try something then try it. To follow your intuition is the best thing to create.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
LD: Usually people ask me: «Is this design? It looks like a sculpture.What is the function?» It’s alsow my favorite question because trough my work, I try to break down the barriers between these two practices.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
LD: The most important professional experience for me at the moment is to have worked with Barnabé Design. He's a designer who learned me everything that could happen in a designer's life. Thanks to him, I made my first exhibition at the VIA in Paris in April 2018. Since then, I have a lot of contacts in this city.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
LD: My plans ? Continue to expose my work to give it good visibility! But my plans for a future a little bit farther away would be to travel all over the globe to learn ancient manufacturing techniques such as working with bamboo in Asia or learning how to weave like the Peruvians!
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
LD: My ideas come from me alone but their development is caused by all the conversations I have with people. Without wanting to, they always give me ideas!
FS: How can people contact you?
LD: You can contact me at lila@demarcq.com or on my phone number (+33)609793825. You can alsow write to me with instagram at @lila.demarcq
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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