Art4AD Magazine
Bangkok Thailand
by Nuttorn Vongsurawat, Jan 2003
(integral)
In depth with Fabrica
Interview with Omar Vulpinari, head of Fabrica's Visual Communication Department
1) How did you first get involved with Fabrica?
First of all I grew up in the United States until the age of 13, where I definitely became sensible to cultural diversity, a key issue at Fabrica. After my studies in Bologna and Ravenna I immediately started art directing for Dolcini Associati, mostly for local public service projects in the Romagna and Marche regions in northern Italy. This got me seriously started to social communication matters. On these commissions my audience was made mainly out of people very close to me. It came natural to concentrate my effort towards getting across to them as much as possible instead of focussing on self expression, as we often tend to do being artists, especially at the beginning of our careers.
Nothing against self expression as long as it doesn't get in the way of communication, considering the enormous amount of responsibility our profession has on society. Today, through Fabrica I have the great opportunity to continue in this direction on a global scale with the contents I develop.
In the mid 90s I was involved in organizing international design conferences, exhibitions and workshops with my great friend Giorgio Camuffo at the Fortuny Museum in Venice, and at Fabrica in Treviso.
At the end of 1997 Oliviero Toscani, director of Fabrica called me when he was searching for a new head for the Visual Communication Department. When Toscani asked me what my intentions would have been if I had gotten the position I responded that I was not interested in creating little Omar Vulpinaris but instead I would have been zen-like devoted to "watering the flowers, fertilizing the soil and pulling out the weeds". What won him over though, I assumed from his twisted glance, was when I added my intention to start each day with Thai-Chi classes in Fabrica's park. Toscani would always demand something out of the ordinary from the people working with him.
2) What was it like working with Oliviero Toscani?
Universal duality at its most. From order to chaos, from global to local, from life to death. No mediocre way in between admitted. Doubt, subversiveness and the desire to question and understand were every day challenges. Any assignment, be it an institutional campaign for the United Nations or the promotional launch of a new mobile telecommunications company, would be a chance to analyze and speculate , as artists and communicators, on the underlying human values. Communication for the collective intelligence, no designer to designer indulgence. Maniacal demand for lateral thought, purity of form and professional discipline.
3) Has Fabrica gone through many changes since Toscani left in 2000? And, in which ways?
The Benetton-Fabrica tradition in terms of interest for communication, creativity, social issues and business continues strong. The unique "privilige" to risk, to be able to create and design without fear of error, necessary in a true research environment, remains essential. The number of projects and their complexities have enormously increased in all directions. A new department has been added to develop animation and illustration for advanced telecommunications. The workshop and lecture program is much richer. Active networking with other designers and artists, companies, museums, magazines, publishers and nonprofit organizations has become priority.
In August 2001 we opened our first Fabrica Features cultural outlet in Bologna, for Christmas 2001 the second in Lisbon and a third very soon in Japan. This project has opened Fabrica to the world, in terms that we now have a perfect vehicle for getting our ideas and work out into the real life market, to the people and not only to a limited elite. These are spaces where we regularly show exhibitions of our researchers and other interesting international artists. We also hold readings, lectures and performances along with selling our books, magazines, CDs and all the other Fabrica designs.
4) I've heard and read many stories about Fabrica, both positive and negative, so what exactly goes on at Fabrica?
Fabrica is communication, art, technology and society. Fabrica is risk, utopia and play. I must say that Fabrica is first of all like nothing else. Its a school with world class teachers but no exams and degrees, Its a professional creativity and communications consultancy where clients accept research and mistakes as part of the process. Its where a musician can design a toilette lamp for Alessi and where a graphic designer can shoot a movie and get it in the Venice Film Festival. I would define Fabrica a humanistic laboratory that researches on new forms of communication through contemporary media. For the fifty international students receiving a twelve month scholarship its an extraordinary opportunity to grow on unconventional interdisciplinary experiences in a multiethnic environment. A unique moment to build a life lasting unconventional approach to idea conception, future changing global connections and an outstanding portfolio which are the main keys to an important career.
5) What do you think is Fabrica's contribution to the design industry?
I think that our greatest contribution lies in our being a positive example to other large industries that could, like Benetton, give support to young artists and designers. A formula where everyone wins. Fabrica is evidence that intelligent and courageous investment in youth, creativity and communication can also mean good business and not necessarily only nonprofit corporate philanthropy.
Regarding our artistic approach I believe that we continue to demonstrate that whenever art, design and communication speak to a universal collective intelligence response does not remain limited to an elitist minority.
6) What does the Visual Communication Department do? And what projects are you working on at the moment?
Our work has always aimed to function as a mirror, we must see our selves in it and at the same time all the viewers must discover something of themselves in it too. We work on those visual archetypes that disturb us, that force us to discover something of ourselves that we maybe do not want to know.
I personally don't care much about cool typography and crisp photography, I care about telling stories. New stories or old stories with a twist. Visual narratives that punch in the eye and explode in the mind. But if it's not a knock-out punch it must be an orgasmic caress. True stories when possible, because truth is what people want to take home in the evening.
Very important is the emotional atmosphere we work in. It must be absolutely void of fear for error. Our weekly 4 hour critique meetings are wonderful exercise for this.
Our activities are divided into 3 major commitment areas: research, nonprofit, profit. At the moment, just to give a few examples, we're working on a self-initiated research project titled "Time to?" in which our students are studying the social consequences of post September 11. At the same time we're developing an institutional campaign for the World Health Organization's Global Violence Report and the communication design for an important exhibition on Spanish modernist painting.
This department is a very central and busy one. There is no project in Fabrica that does not include visual design so we're also responsible for the communication of all the work coming out of the other six departments.
Which means that if Industrial Design conceives a product we take care of the interface graphics, packaging and promotional. If Video and Film produce a film we design titles, posters and press-book and so on.
7) It seems to me that each department functions independently. How do all departments collaborate among each other, and what are the projects that come out from the collaboration?
In today's society and market no company, institution or event needs just a logo or a poster so being capable of crossing borders and team working is the only way to be.
Our researchers may be working alone on one assignment, in a small interdisciplinary group on another and at the same time collaborating with external teams for complex operations. Projects can last last six hours or six months.
Very often projects involve all seven departments, in these we switch roles and wind up with the most surprising results. In any case our respect for specific expertise never lacks so if for instance a graphic designer comes up with a winning idea for a refugee shelter an industrial designer will follow up with an expertly detailed production phase.
8) From my trial experience, I think it's great that Fabrica collaborate with nonprofit organizations, which most advertising agencies are unable to do. Are the majority of the works at the visual department come from nonprofit organizations?
A good 30-40% of our activities are nonprofit and when we feel we don't have enough we go look for it.
UN Volunteers, UN Drug Control Program, UN Refugees, FAO, UN World Health Organization, UN World Food Program, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Peter Gabriel's Witness project and many others are constantly commissioning. Last August we contributed to "Remember Hiroshima" where we designed, along with designers world wide, postcards to be sent to the 57 presidents whose countries have nuclear arsenals.
9) Divided among all departments, there are 50 scholarships offered to students/ researchers from around the world. How many scholarships are available for the visual department?
At the moment the department counts fourteen people. Ten are student designers.
10) Visual department is considered one of the toughest Departments to get in because of the spaces available and the numbers of applications received each year. How many applications do you receive each year? And how many applicants are invited for a trial?
I receive around fifty portfolios a month for ten scholarships. Ten percent of these are invited for a two week trial period then ten percent of these receive a twelve month scholarship. A very small percentage become senior students after.
11) What do you expect to see in an applicant?
I look for people that want to understand people and find intelligent lateral solutions to their problems, needs and desires. Curious, sensitive, hard working, doubtful, responsible, self critical, passionate beings always using the words "why and "what if". Storytelling visual artists that can dream, write poetry and film scripts as well as they illustrate, draw type, photograph, shoot video or design web sites. People without mental and disciplinary boundaries able to work in a team. The creativity we're looking for must be free but cannot be without rules, since the projects we develop are concrete, responsibility and discipline are necessary. And you can't break rules if they don't exist.
12) Visual department receive works from outside clients, if a student has an idea for a personal project, will he/ she be able to make a proposal to Fabrica? Has there been a self-initiated project (from a student) done at the visual department before?
This happens very often and normally without any formalities unless they require really big expenses.
13) In addition to working at Fabrica, students have opportunities to participate in the Wanted Creativity workshops as well, is this correct? How did the workshop idea come about, and how long has the workshop program been on for?
Yes, we have at least one three day workshop and two lectures a month with the world's most influential designers and artists. They're free for our students, guest students and professionals too. The workshops are seen as the core of our teaching activities. We've had Ferran Adria, Lawrence Weiner, Wim Crouwel, David Carson, Kesselskramer, Massimo Vignelli, Jonathan Barnbrook, Tomato, Mike Mills, Michael Nyman, Elliott Peter Earls, Balanescu Quartet, Droog Design, Michele De Lucchi, Martin Parr, Boris Mikalkov, Anna Fox, Duane Michaels, Paul Graham, J. Abbott Miller, Reed Kram, David Karam, Alan Fletcher, James Victore, April Greiman and so many others. The program started 6 years ago. It gives the students not only the possibility to learn diverse creative approaches but also to meet and make important contacts.
14) What kind of work has been produced from the Wanted Creativity workshops?
In three days, this is normally what they last, our major intention is not to come up with finalized work, even though this happens very often, but to create conceptual instruments for our everyday researching. John Maeda's workshop is a perfect example. The title was "Create your own instruments" starting from the assumption that we should not give in to using the conventional computer programs the market feeds us with. So through an on-line connection with his MIT Media Lab web site in Boston our students learned how to create their own design programs. The visual results were extremely basic but the importance of the principal came out loud and strong.
Recently Peter Rea held an inspiring workshop on design processes asking the students to visualize their personal creative path from start to finish using any technique possible: collage, 3D, photography, writing , music, video, performance, new media. The results will be coming out soon in our first Fabrica Files book published by Electa, the major Italian art, design and architecture publishing house. The Fabrica Files series will publish every six months a 384 page title containing six recent Fabrica projects.
An international showcase not only for our students but also for the people who join us just for the workshops.
15) This is the last question. Do you have any tips to young ART4D readers who are interested in applying for a scholarship at Fabrica?
We receive over 800 entry requests a year. Our selection process starts with a portfolio review followed by a two week trial period. So to start I would suggest to prepare a visually eye-catching portfolio with strong, experimental, lateral thinking, interdisciplinary work. Avoid black ring binders with plastic envelopes and complicated computer based presentations (which always give problems). Most important: make it memorable, entertaining and show us you can dream.
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Via Ferrarezza
31050 Catena di Villorba
Treviso
0422 516235
omar@fabrica.it
www.omarvulpinari.com