The summer edition of Talking Repairably 2020 brings interview with the Spanish designer Alex Fernandez Camps. His words and design clearly reflect the period we are currently living as well as his open character. Alex, the love is mutual!
How would you define your design philosophy in 1 phrase?
Also philosophy is in progress always. We are designers. We are in the mood part, not in the solid ceramics. By the way, there’s a bad design in the question. Deep contradiction (sorry to say). Philosophy etimologically means love about knowledge. Both happens slowly. Some times at a perfect summary, 100% of info is “in”; but 100% of value is lost. Would be better if instead of philosophy you ask about character. In this case, I would not know the answer; but I will go deeper and write you soon… It will only take me a year to know well.
How would you describe the ideal/ target user of the products you design?
I always focus in one specific person/case in each project, thinking on solving/investigating very specific aspects with creativity. Sometimes when there’s a specific target, and specific features; our job could be just a “control, pump, deliver”. Then we make it honourable as much as we can.
What is the design you are most proud of?
What is your favourite childhood? Impossible to say. My compromise is 100% with every project at every step.
What is your main professional goal for the future?
Understand how can design would be able to make the world better (like in sXX generally speaking).
Is there a designer or a producer you would assign as green or sustainable?
Green or Sustainable are too big. This is because I love Repairably… Even before learning your first language, you can understand what repairing is. Now trying to answer: no.
Orbea Grow 1&2 by Alex Fernandez Camps, “the bike that grows with you”, another way how to save resources!
What inspires you in the environment/ country you work in?
Life, gravity, time and all other human unavoidable circumstances. But in my specific: Mediterranian light, sense of life and friendship, and all my nearest. Of course my customers (they are allways more friends than customers in just few years. I work too much to don’t have friends in every company/port). This companies are very inspirational because they are in contact with a lot of people, and I also (and as a central point) I feel I can help human structures to keep sailing together… being the satellite of bigger ships that I love.
An insight to Alex´es library
Question designer to designer:
This time by: Pavol Mikuláš, designer, winner of Repairability Award 2019
If you could design something impossible, what would you design?
Wow Pavol!!!… Is early in the morning Dude!!!… Let me gain some time saying that I find Eastern European design as a superb human practice. Honest, warm, but in the point… and so on. OK… For sure I will design a new dimension related to materia, avoiding space and time conditions.
What comes to your mind when you think of:
- waste: Future. Good or Bad, will see.
- repairably: Love
- plastic (as material): Too cheap for the capabilities (plastic is a condition, not a material (humans are plastic).
- circular economy: A good wish, that I would like to see soon. Only part of the solution.
- smart phone: Fuck!…
- your favorite kitchen appliance: toaster
- your grandmother’s favorite kitchen appliance: I’m asking… She is not answering from her new dimension… I think a toaster.
- best human invention: Bowl
- best invention of this century: yet to come. I think will be something to die happy.
thx to:
Alex Fernandez Camps, The Bicycle Laboratory
