I no longer wish to talk about design
Extract of a conversation between Philippe Starck and Pierre Doze, Paris, December 2002. Exerpt from the book 'Starck by Starck'.
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Our transformation into fish, batrachian. The fundamental stage of coming ashore, the transition to terra firma, which allowed the egg a stable bed. The ape-stage, and finally that of the super-ape that we have become today. But this is not a final state. It's no longer in duration than a flash of lightning.
The vision of the previous voyage is suª- cient proof of this. Our extraordinary mutation is a sample of what is possible, and shows us what must follow: the continuation of the voyage. Confronted with the splendour of the first part, one longs to see the next. There is magic, too, in the paucity of clues about the nature of this "sequel". It holds a fascination greater than any mysticism. Will we become a cloud? A vibration, a note of music, an aerosol, a wavelength? No doubt something else again.
The obligation to continue the story of our mutation is not merely a poetic duty, but a technical necessity. In 4.2 billion years, the implosion of the sun will cause us to vitrify. We shall have to move on. A radical change of state is therefore necessary prior to that event. We can attain it by completely accepting and integrating our mutant state. If we don't, if we prove unable to maintain our speed of evolution, our civilisation is doomed.
Vigilance in relation to maintaining the speed of evolution is fundamental. We have one or two clues to what happens if we neglect it: revolutions.
Stripped of their concomitant romantic imagery, revolutions are undesirable. They are costly, and may delay matters. Revolutions merely compensate for a slow-down in evolution.
Participation
No one will be condemned for lacking genius, but we all have a duty of participation: we aren't required to bring a mountain to our civilisation, but contributing a grain of sand is mandatory. Birth is a gift whose reciprocity requires this minimal tribute to civilisation. Each brings what she can. There is an exercise that is at once a form of gift and an entry ticket: the angle-of-vision obligation. It's a schematic example. If you look at your feet, you're an idiot. Training your gaze a little further ahead adds some security if you don't want to trip. A little further ahead again makes the attainment of a form of intelligence possible, but one is not yet in a position to give. Close to the horizontal, some progressive life-solutions may come to light.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Our transformation into fish, batrachian. The fundamental stage of coming ashore, the transition to terra firma, which allowed the egg a stable bed. The ape-stage, and finally that of the super-ape that we have become today. But this is not a final state. It's no longer in duration than a flash of lightning.
The vision of the previous voyage is suª- cient proof of this. Our extraordinary mutation is a sample of what is possible, and shows us what must follow: the continuation of the voyage. Confronted with the splendour of the first part, one longs to see the next. There is magic, too, in the paucity of clues about the nature of this "sequel". It holds a fascination greater than any mysticism. Will we become a cloud? A vibration, a note of music, an aerosol, a wavelength? No doubt something else again.
The obligation to continue the story of our mutation is not merely a poetic duty, but a technical necessity. In 4.2 billion years, the implosion of the sun will cause us to vitrify. We shall have to move on. A radical change of state is therefore necessary prior to that event. We can attain it by completely accepting and integrating our mutant state. If we don't, if we prove unable to maintain our speed of evolution, our civilisation is doomed.
Vigilance in relation to maintaining the speed of evolution is fundamental. We have one or two clues to what happens if we neglect it: revolutions.
Stripped of their concomitant romantic imagery, revolutions are undesirable. They are costly, and may delay matters. Revolutions merely compensate for a slow-down in evolution.
Participation
No one will be condemned for lacking genius, but we all have a duty of participation: we aren't required to bring a mountain to our civilisation, but contributing a grain of sand is mandatory. Birth is a gift whose reciprocity requires this minimal tribute to civilisation. Each brings what she can. There is an exercise that is at once a form of gift and an entry ticket: the angle-of-vision obligation. It's a schematic example. If you look at your feet, you're an idiot. Training your gaze a little further ahead adds some security if you don't want to trip. A little further ahead again makes the attainment of a form of intelligence possible, but one is not yet in a position to give. Close to the horizontal, some progressive life-solutions may come to light.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Starck by Starck
Flexicover, 19.6 x 25.8 cm (7.7 x 10.2 in.), 576 pages
$ 39.99
$ 39.99
It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superstarck!
TASCHEN Shop, Paris 2000. Photos: Eric Laignel