Sebastian Bergne Q&A
We caught up with the designer and challenged him on his love for the bottle and whether an own-name label might be in the offing…
Why, apart from maybe the obvious reasons, the fascination with wine?
I’m married to a French woman and we’ve friends in France with vineyards. Combined with the 8 years I’ve just spent living in Italy, I’ve developed quite an amateur interest in wine.
How did the exhibition come about?
I moved back to London last September and Daniel Charny, the gallery’s curator, wanted to reintroduce me to the London scene with an exhibition of my work.
Why did you decide to do a new project instead of a retrospective?
Daniel’s agenda is not so much about retrospectives and I’ve always been someone who looks forward, not back.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
You have a huge back catalogue of industrial design for a range of manufacturers, what was it like to work under your own name?
It was invigorating and enthusing, an opportunity to test the market with more speculative designs than if I’d been working on a commission.
So was it more of a creative experiment than a business plan?
Well the majority of it was funded by me (with the exception of the Arts Council who funded the glasswork) so it was quite speculative business-wise too.
Is an own-name brand the direction you’re intending to go now?
It depends on the results of the exhibition. If there’s a lot of interest I’ll develop my own line but if it’s interest based on a few select products then I’ll try and develop specific pieces with specific manufacturers.
Has the process of overseeing the manufacturing yourself affected the outcome of the designs?
All the designs are functional, sellable products rather than prototypes, so I automatically focussed on simpler designs. Raw materials were very important and I’ve used only UK-based manufacturers to actually make the pieces. I think each piece is directed by the material it’s made from, be it stone, glass, copper, cork or wood.
Limited edition design is quite a topical area at the moment – did this factor in your decision to do the project?
I think the design scene has opened out a lot in the last couple of years, creating many more ways of making, presenting and selling design. But for me this project was about having direct contact with every part of the process – I’m not interested in the value accrued through exclusivity.
Was the idea and process of designing more important than the final product then?
Maybe insomuch as the consumer wasn’t necessarily the target for everything – I think some of the pieces would be more suitable for a supermarket or a restaurant or bar. The important thing for me was to experiment by taking this one theme and looking at it from as many angles as possible. Having said this, the products themselves are of course important and how people respond to them is the final stage in the process.
How would you define design?
Design is creating the environment in which we live. It’s important that there’s a constant evolution and improvement - be it mechanical, technological or aesthetic - in everything we use, so as we feel like we’re moving forward.
Which single piece of design do you wish had your name on it?
The wine bottle.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
The AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ is pitched at both professional DJs and amateur beatmatchers
AlphaTheta’s new XDJ-AZ is an all-in-one four-channel DJ system that adds wireless support and vast connectivity to the DJ’s sonic arsenal
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Wayne McGregor on turning a post-apocalyptic trilogy by Margaret Atwood into a three-act ballet with Max Richter
Wayne McGregor's latest project is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s trilogy of novels, ‘Oryx and Crake’, ‘The Year of the Flood’ and ‘MaddAddam’, marking 16 years of his partnership with composer Max Richter
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Nathan Yong's stainless steel designs investigate art, industrial design, and social dysfunction
‘A chair becomes inviting and chilling at the same time': Nathan Yong on his stainless steel tubular designs for his showcase at Art Commune Gallery, Singapore
By Daven Wu Published
-
At home with designer Sebastian Herkner
Sebastian Herkner finds inspiration in his extensive travels around the globe and the spirit of optimism of his adopted hometown of Offenbach
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
At home with Kelly Wearstler
American designer Kelly Wearstler talks about her approach to interiors, her California homes, favourite LA spots, creative inspiration and more
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Ritesh Gupta’s Useful School: ‘Creative education needs to centre on people of colour’
Creative industry veteran Ritesh Gupta on launching Useful School, a new virtual learning platform that puts people of colour front and centre
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Ilse Crawford judges Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
London Design Medal laureate Ilse Crawford – part of the six-strong jury for the Judges’ Awards, the Wallpaper* Design Awards’ highest honours – on design for a better reality, and our worthy winners
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Luca Guadagnino judges Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
Italian film director Luca Guadagnino, who recently expanded his work into design and interiors, talks about his projects and judging the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
By Laura Rysman Last updated
-
Nendo’s Oki Sato on challenges, new talent, and ‘taking the difficult way’
Oki Sato, founder of prolific Japanese studio Nendo, reflects on past and present challenges – including designing Tokyo’s Olympic cauldron – and, for Wallpaper’s 25th Anniversary Issue ‘5x5’ project, selects five young talents ready to pick up the torch
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Formafantasma on their GEO-Design master’s programme, and designers thinking big
The Italian design duo – and Designer of the Year in the 2021 Wallpaper* Design Awards – are among our featured visionaries in ‘5x5’, Wallpaper's 25th anniversary project. They discuss their first year heading the GEO-Design master’s programme at Design Academy Eindhoven, educating students for a changing world, and their pick of five creative leaders of the future who are expanding the practice of design
By TF Chan Last updated
-
New vision for Franco Maria Ricci’s art publishing legacy
Italian art collector and publisher Franco Maria Ricci passed away in September 2020. His nephew Edoardo Pepino was entrusted with his artistic legacy, including the world’s biggest bamboo maze and Ricci’s eponymous publishing house, which is set for a relaunch in late 2021
By Maria Cristina Didero Last updated