Oliver David Krieg

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Oliver David Krieg ("ODK") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

ODK : As an architect, designer and PhD researcher I have engaged with both wood and digital technologies for almost ten years. I have always been fascinated by the relationship between the scientific, almost purely mathematical approach of robotic fabrication, and the aesthetics of the material that is directly affected by this process. In my opinion, the tension between the digital and physical - the method and the result - is most prevalent in wood. The richness and visual detail of a wooden surface stands in contrast to the clean manufacturing process, and yet they depend on each other. While I was conducting research about architectural potentials of robotic fabrication at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction at the University of Stuttgart, I couldn't help but notice the aesthetic potentials of this captivating relationship. AESTUS became a passion project that I was only recently able to develop into a finished product.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

ODK : odk.design was founded as a platform to explore the relationship between technology and material, and to explore the forces of formation in robotic fabrication.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

ODK : I chose to become one in order to explore the relationship between material and machine indepth.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

ODK : In the broadest description, I design surfaces that are defined by their material and the process of making.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

ODK : Good design is one that is true to its material, simple in its expression, and yet shows a high degree of sophistication in how it was made. A design is successful if people can use it without thinking about it. It is successful when people engage with it, appreciate its materiality and like looking at it or touching it.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

ODK : There can be many values: The appreciation for the material, sustainable materials or fabrication processes, durability and resiliency.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

ODK : I draw inspiration from many other designers who engage with material and form in similar ways.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

ODK : Technology is changing the way we think, design and make. Craft is redefined to include digital processes. The future of design will engage with technology and use it as a tool just like the chisel or screw driver have become the tools of masters.