Jury-GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN / Published on January 17, 2021
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Ryann Aoukar
Designer & Associate Professor
Ryann Aoukar Designer, University of Tennessee
Québec, Canada—Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE – PEOPLE OF DESIGN VERSION!
What prescient youthful memory relates to your present career?
Playing in the wood shop, where my father used to run his business making furniture was certainly prescient to my career.
What are three basic rules you learned from your mentors?
1. There is no failure or success, only feedback to adjust, learn, and move to the next step.
2. The insecure way is the secure way.
3. Don’t take anything personal.
Photo : Anton Stainer Bowl
What project launched your career?
The Anton Stainer Bowl.
Any music playing while you work?
No. When I design, I need to be fully focused and present.
Do you work in PJs or three-piece suits?
I choose comfortable casual clothes.
What is your current design state of mind?
1. To be aware of the environment when I design.
2. User Center Design is not an option, it is the only game in
town.
3. A product should move us emotionally.
What living designer/architect do you most admire?
What past designer/architect inspires you the most?
Paul Rand and Mies Van Der Rohe.
What is your most marked design quality?
Manipulation of form to resolve a problem.
How would you like your designs to go down in history?
I would like them to reflect the time and the era they were produced in.
What peer quality do you most value?
Innovation and mastery of form and color.
Which project is the epitome of your work?
My next project, for which I have no photos of yet, will be the high point of my career, so far!
How are your country of belonging’s values reflected in your work?
Oh Canada…
1. Dare to take a risk.
2- With very little resources, creativity can thrive.
What always inspires you?
My friends, my colleagues, my students and contemporary artists are always inspiring to me.
If a spell were to transform you into an object for eternity, by all means, what would you like to be and why?
Pocket watch that shares the past, the present and the future.
What is your favorite place in the world?
Amsterdam, all the way!
What design or architecture project do you wish you would have thought of yourself?
Architecture: The Pantheon in Rome, nothing less!
Design: The original Hudson Hotel NYC by Philippe Starck. Unfortunately, they’ve since destroyed most of it.
If you could host any three guests, past or alive, over for dinner, who would you choose and what would you dare serving?
My partner Heather, my friend Chantal, Alain Moureaux and my friend Ben.
Menu: Soft Cheese, French baguette and red wine.
What is your mantra?
Nothing is impossible …
maybe simply nobody has thought of it yet.
What is your dream? THINK BIG!
Redesigning the interior of the Canadian parliament building to
reflect our contemporary values as people. Or designing Anish
Kapoor’s or Jeff Koon’s homes.
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Name of the image/project or product: Anton Strainer Bowl
Photo credit: Uncommon Goods
Year: 2014
City: Knoxville
Country: USA
Descriptive sentence: Plastic Strainer Bow
Name of the image/project or product: Boomrang
Photo credit: Ryann Aoukar
Year: 2017
City: Shenzhen
Country: China
Descriptive sentence: Champagne Bucket
Name of the image/project or product: Lift Cutting Board
Photo credit: Panji
Year: 2018
City: London
Country: UK
Descriptive sentense: Cutting and serving set
Name of the image/project or product: Lift Cutting Board
Photo credit: Panji
Year: 2018
City: London
Country: UK
Descriptive sentence: Cutting and serving set
Name of the image/project or product: LP Wall
Photo credit: Ryann Aoukar
Year: 2009
City: Milan
Country: Italy
Descriptive sentence: Wall Sconce
Name of the image/project or product: Terea Lamp
Photo credit: Luxo
Year: 2010
City: Oslo
Country: Norway
Descriptive sentence: Task Lamp
Name of the image/project or product: Highline
Photo credit: Dates Weiser-Knoll
Year: 2011
City: New York
Country: USA
Descriptive sentence: Credenza
Name of the image/project or product: Highline
Photo credit: Dates Weiser-Knoll
Year: 2011
City: New York
Country: USA
Descriptive sentence: Credenza
Name of the image/project or product: Villa GPA
Photo credit: Isa
Year: 2012
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Descriptive sentence: Private Home
Name of the image/project or product: Villa GPA
Photo credit: Isa
Year: 2012
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Descriptive sentence: Private Home
