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/ Interview Jasper Morrison

At this year’s Salone del Mobile, Vitra introduced three new concepts by British designer Jasper Morrison, a man known for his minimalist and rational approach to design. Besides the Place Couch Group and the Monopod Chair, covered in dark-brown leather, the manufacturer displayed Morrison’s Super Normal plastic-and-wood Basel Chair as well. Jasper Morrison and Japanese colleague Naoto Fukasawa first showed Super Normal designs (furniture without frills) two years ago in Tokyo, causing no less than a sensation. The debut was accompanied by a book (Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary) that Morrison has called ‘a perfect summary of what design should be, now more than ever’. The designer’s message is that the Super Normal object has emerged from a long tradition of evolutionary advancement, that it is not attempting to break with the history of form but rather trying to summarize it, and that it recognizes its place within the ‘community of things’.

What kind of reaction did you receive to the Super Normal exhibitions?

Feedback aimed at the exhibitions in Tokyo and Milan has been very different, probably because of the different ways of presentation. The premiere at the Axis Gallery was a success because it didn’t take place within the marathon of a fair but gave the designs an opportunity to stand alone. Whereas the show in Milan floundered a bit in the mass of exhibitions that fill the programme organized by the Salone del Mobile. Apart from that, however, the general public seemed to like the presentation. Sadly, we had few reactions to Super Normal from the design world. Some of our colleagues responded quite negatively and were offended by our decision not to show their designs. I’d hoped that Fukasawa’s and my initiative would generate a discussion among design professionals – a debate on the role of design in today’s world. But I’m not surprised that it hasn’t. Design has become more fragmented over the past few years, and many of our colleagues are more interested in themselves than they are in design as a subject. Super Normal raises questions about the purpose of design, and that’s a sticky issue.