Lanka’s polished concrete a hit, says French designer
Philippe Starck receives the IDF award from Minister Eran Wickramaratne
Internationally acclaimed French designer and architect Philippe Starck was honoured for his contribution to the world of design with an IDF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indian Design Forum (IDF) held in Colombo earlier this month.
Starck who co-founded YOO, one of the most sought after international design companies with property moghul John Hitchcox was in Sri Lanka visiting the Sapphire Residencies for which he has created the interiors.
Addressing aspiring designers, architects and creators at the IDF, he claimed that his only talent was mastering concentration. He believed that everyone has the ability to create however the concentration needed to create was lacking in most people, he said.
A model on the ramp in a PR design. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
The designer who has travelled the world said he would like to thank Sri Lanka for the idea of polished concrete, recalling his very first visit and noticing everything was polished concrete. When he had gone back to France he had used polished concrete in his designs – everyone was in awe, he told the audience.
The Indian Design Forum was founded by Rajshree Pathy. Held on October 18, the platform provided leading industry figures the opportunity to address the social discourse around the relevance of design.
Keynote speakers included Principal of Team Architrave Madhura Prematilleke, Director of London Design Biennale and Director of Architecture and Design of V&A Museum Christopher Turner , Writer, curator and Honorary RIBA Fellow Vicky Richardson, Architect of ANL Associates Abha Narain Lambah, Creative Director of Bodice Ruchika Sachdeva and Founder of Colombo Fashion Week Ajai Vir Singh.
The event ended with a fashion show featuring the minimalist designs of owner and curator of PR fashion boutique Annika Fernando.