In what way is this object in keeping with your previous work?
Graph offers an impression of induced movement that is in the same vein as my previous work, like a sign of recognition. Despite its stasis, the object seems to live and radiate inner energy.
The deformation of surfaces with a view to optimizing structures is another recurrent theme of my production, so much so that this “gesture” has become, in a way, my signature.
In general, I am always trying to transcend material constraints. In this case, the critical threshold of the project is to be found at the level of the stability because Graph sits on only three contact points with the floor.

Are you leaving the field of deformed metal, for which you have become well known?
The deformation of metal surfaces was a stage in the early 2000s, at a time when I was working with very few resources. Now that I am working with Italian design producers (Driade, MDF, Skitsch, Baleri, and so on), I have an opportunity to use more complex and diversified technologies. These producers work on an industrial scale and frequently turn to moulding techniques. I have created, for example, moulded aluminum candelabras; I designed moulded tables made of Cristalplant (a composite resin similar to Corian), chairs made of polypropylene, and so on.
For creation of Graph, I was presented with the opportunity to take the language that I had explored with aluminum further with the hot processing of glass under the aegis of Italian masters in that craft.

Why did you make this change?
First of all, because it’s very exciting to have new experiences, to have new means within my reach, and to benefit from the motivated collaboration of the best factory in the field.
In most cases, it is possible to deform materials to a small proportion without their surface deteriorating. With metals, just as with glass, we work within the limits of this “small” proportion of deformation.
I like this job when it pushes back boundaries and overturns preconceived ideas.

Unlike the postmodernist movement, which endlessly reinterprets past designs, you continue to search.
My credo is more to invent than to reinvent, and sometimes I go against the tide of trends. At the last Maison&Objet show in Paris, I heard comments concerning Graph such as, “It was born vintage” and “It’s a new classic.” I am delighted to hear these remarks, and they are evidence that the baby is doing fine. For me, the interest in creating a design is not that it is associated with a trend, a fashion, or an ever-changing commercial scene – quite the contrary, if it can be self-evident without need of further demonstration, if it has a real reason for existing through its ingenuity, it can also seem timeless.

At the same time, you are exploring another dimension…
Yes. With the Belgian company MGX by Materialise, I produced two very organic lamps showing the infinite possibilities of a technique called stereolithography. In short, this is computer-controlled 3-D printing. In this case, what is extraordinary is that moulding is limitless. It is therefore possible to manufacture very complex objects.

What’s your latest news?
My recent productions will be presented at Milan Furniture Fair, April 16–22, 2012, at the FIAM and MDF Italia stands, and in the city, in the De Padova showroom. At the Triennale di Milano, in addition to having a presence in the “Perspectives” exhibition, I am organizing a special food design event called Insalata Belga to promote Brussellicious, Brussels’s year of gourmet food.

A large number of prototypes of our surface bus shelters for the Brussels Region transport company (STIB) will be installed in 2013. In time, almost 2,000 bus shelters will be installed.

Caption: Desk with 19 mm curved transparent glass base and 15 mm clear glass top, with stainless-steel connecting elements.
220 x 80 x 74 cm