Interview with Léa André
Designer Interview
23 April 2012
I had graduated from ESAD of Reims, in France, last June where I got my Masters in design. During my time there I did several internships with design companies in various countries, in Honduras for Atuto Company, in New Zealand for David Trubridge and Co, in Germany for Thegreeneyl and also in Paris for an embroidery company calls Linge au coeur. At the moment I am working in a design company in Queanbeyan, Australia called Fink design.
When I was child, I was fantasisizing about being an archaeologist, dreaming about travelling around the world, discovering a place where no one has been before. I think it’s similar to being a designer. The only difference between them is that one tries to discover how the past was made and the other one tries to find how the future will be made.
When I was child, I was fantasisizing about being an archaeologist, dreaming about travelling around the world, discovering a place where no one has been before. I think it’s similar to being a designer. The only difference between them is that one tries to discover how the past was made and the other one tries to find how the future will be made.
At the moment I'm doing an internship with Robert Foster for Fink design in Canberra, Australia. This company gives me the opportunity to access the workshop in order to carry on my own projects. They also give me the time and the motivation to do that.
Design is the process of finding the best balance between concept, form and material.
I feel more confortable working with small scale objects. However at the moment I'm working on a stool and I'm trying to enlarge the scale.
My favourite design is the design found in "Metaphors" of Ettore Sottsass. In this book Ettore share his artistics experiences in a wild place with only materials found in the land scape.
The first thing I designed for a company is "The Chocolate’s Opera" for the La Maison du Chocolat. This artistic piece creates a connection between chocolate and opera. The arias coming from the inside of the structure create waves that are drawn in the liquid chocolate held at the top of the object.
My favourite material is food. Because food is universal, easy to share, culturally rich, biodegradable, transformable, vital and tasty !
I’m feeling the most creative when I’m travelling. It’s revival, my mind is open about all my environment, I’m feeling like a sponge which absorbs every little detail around it.
I focus on the experimentation aspect. I try to find something completely new and different.
Also I try to listen my conviction. For me the priority in the creation progress is to get pleasure.
Also I try to listen my conviction. For me the priority in the creation progress is to get pleasure.
Happiness, anger, love, desire, insanity, tranquility...
...But when the design is realize I’m feeling invincible ! And just for this emotion I could spend hours and hours looking for the right solution.
A new concept.
I consider the thought process.
The role of the designer is to consider the impact on the environment of all of the processes of making his design.
I think we are going out of the consumer society, people would like to buy less product but with a better quality or more poetic objects. We are going out of the "Bling bling" culture, I hope!
After several exhibitions done during my studies in Reims. I've been doing various internships with artists around the world, so I have not had any solo exhibitions lately.
Most of my design inspiration are from my differents travels and people I’ve met on my road.
I’m feeling inspired during my walks.
I’m feeling inspired during my walks.
I'm feeling confortable when I touch the material I'm working with.
I have a french culture but I’m living in Australia (Canberra) at the moment. It’s when I’m a foreigner that I feel the most present my cultural heritage. It’s harder to be original in your own country.
When I’m working for a company, I use to start to work at production. And after if there is any oportnities and good exange start to work around a project with them.
A good designer is someone likes his job.
I like to play with the material. Experiment with it. Try to find its limits, its weaknesses, the way to make it beautiful.
My laguiol (French knife), my running shoes, my traveling diary, my laptop, my pencil.
Short jogging, good breackfast, and working day.
I'm a young designer.
The positive thing is that every day is diferent, the life of designer can not be monotone. But it also a negative thing, live with the doubt of what it will be tomorrow?
Follow your conviction never give up.
Motivation, curiosity and open mindedness.
My travelling dairy and my laptop.
I'm working at the Fink design factory two days a week and working on my own project in the space the others days.
There is no rule. A project could take a all life to be well design.
But if there is an order from a company, the dead line is the limit.
But if there is an order from a company, the dead line is the limit.
What is next?
My most important job is the working experience I’m doing at the moment for Fink design.
I'm curious, so I realy enjoy the design work which need to do a lot of research around.
I would like carry on my travel around Australia and my design experience here. My dream would be to open an artistic place in Berlin with friends of mine who are interested in art and design.
Both of them.
A stool in polycarbonate. This project start two years ago in New Zealand. It won a design competition where Robert Foster was one of the members of the jury and now I continue the concept at his workshop.
People can contact me trough my email adress : lea.andre@hotmail.fr. Also can get more informations about my design background through my website : www.leaandre.com