ARTWORK Audley Spring/Summer 2003
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Brett Anderson, London: Peter, out of all of the bands
whose sleeves you have designed, who has been your least favourite musically?
Peter Saville: Hot Gossip.
Malin, Sweden: Does Brett Anderson have good taste?
Peter Saville: I don't know, I haven't tried. Do you?
Hollister Lowe, New York City: What was your first
collaboration with Roxy Music?
Peter Saville: Flesh & Blood, 24 hours before
the deadline.
David Jones, London: Are you still or were you ever a music fan?
Peter Saville: Yes. I'm a fan of some music. I was
a Roxy Music fan, I'm still a Kraftwerk fan and more recently, I've been
a Belle and Sebastian fan.
Kylie Mckenzie, New Zealand: What are your 5 favourite
album sleeves?
Peter Saville: All time: Autobahn, Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground, Fear
of Music, The White Album, Another Time Another Place
David Sultan, Miami, Forida: What is your favorite
Factory artifact?
Peter Saville: Tony Wilson.
David Costelloe, Manchester, England: Do you lament
the deficiencies in size and tactility of CDs as a medium for graphic design?
Peter Saville: Yes and no. Yes because I developed
a sensibility for the structure of the 12 inch and its inner sleeve and
no because they look so old fashioned now.
John McGuire, London: Did the advent of CDs radically
change your approach to designing record sleeves and/or posters?
Peter Saville: Yes. It was interesting to learn that
imagery envisioned for a 12 inch cover did not reduce successfully to CD
size. Similarly, imagery envisioned for a CD did not enlarge successfully
to 12 inch. From a design point of view, the design approach has to be quite
different because the user's relationship with the object is quite different.
Posters are a really particular design problem. It is difficult to create
successful posters. There was a great poster culture through probably until
the 70s, when the poster itself was the prime form. Posters as an adjunct
to cover design are a hit and miss affair. Poster design on screen is almost
impossible,,,
Julie Verhoeven, London: Hello, Peter...congratulations
on the expo and book...you can relax now! I was wondering how you cope mentally
when shops perform a type of aesthetic sabotage and plaster promotional
and price stickers haphazardly over your record sleeves? Does this upset
or bother you? How do you react?
Peter Saville: It really upsets me. I'm very happy
about removability in stickers. More upsetting are the overseas licensees
or distributors' interpretations of artworks. The changes are unremovable.
I see my name credited to things I barely recognise. I hope I can relax
one day.
Jose, Croydon: When you designed sleeves for Suede,
what was the input from the band? Who chose the final version? Do you feel
honoured to appear in the one from 'Filmstar'?
Peter Saville: I approached The Suede project as Art
Director. I asked Brett to be executive creative director. I felt that he
knew his generation better than I did. My brief was to realise the cover
he had always wanted for Suede. Final decisions were made collectively.
Hence, the credits 'cover by: Brett Anderson, Nick Knight, Peter Saville...'.
I was pressganged into Filmstar by both Brett and Nick, who thought it would
be amusing. I disagreed. I felt it would look egotistical. Also, the character
description was 'washed up, failed filmstar'. The lack of budget for a suitable
model sealed my fate.
Richard Berry, London: Which recording artist/s have you been most impressed
by in terms of their input into your work?
Peter Saville: Bryan Ferry & Jarvis Cocker
Landon, Vancouver: How did you end up working with Autechre on 'Lilac'?
Was the story you were telling an idea you were trying to generate for a
client?
Peter Saville: I don't know how we ended up with Autechre.
Someone suggested it: it might have been Nick... It was just an observation,
one day in Los Angeles. I told Nick the story and he felt that my description
could be the piece itself. I wish I could do all my work that way.
Alpay Gumrukcu, London: Do you really believe in fashion?
Peter Saville: I did, but then that raises the question
'what do we understand by fashion?'. I am interested in those moments when
the visual aspects of life express how we feel about our times. Clothing
is perhaps our most instant personal expression of individuality and sense
of place. It can be an indicator of zeitgeist. I object to the commodification
of spirit in the business of fashion.
Jo-Ann Furniss, London: What's the worst fashion
hissy fit you've ever encountered? How much do you hate the fashion industry
right now?
Peter Saville: Nick protects me from them. He's much
more familiar with the signs and fends them off. Any visit to Stella's office
is usually quite amusing. The fashion industry seems so unecessary right
now. Everybody's learnt the rules and the business must surely reassess
its sights. As my good friend Peter Smith pointed out to me, 'the next generation
have fresh eyes'.
Stephen Chin Pang Li, Brighton: Being a designer,
where do you find your inspiration and on what level does society affect
you and your designs?
Peter Saville: I did find it in history. In the late
1970s, I felt there was so much that we'd left behind. I've always crossed
boundaries in my references. For example, in front of me are clothes on
a runway. I see a gothic cathedral or a beach, perhaps. I listen to music
and see fields. Now, everyday life influences me the most. I find the Uxbridge
Road in Shepherd's Bush inspiring, as i travel along it day and night.
Gemma O'Brien, Communication and Promotion, Saint
Martins, London: Do you currently have a muse? If so is it a man or a woman?
Peter Saville: People working closely with me help
enormously. Particularly, Anna Blessmann, Chris Wilson and Paul Hetherington.
Jackie Norbury, pricewaterhousecoopers, London:
Which industry do you prefer working for, the music industry or the fashion
industry and why?
Peter Saville: Neither really anymore, but the music
industry look after me quite kindly, fashion is quite stressful these days.
Samuele Or, Hong Kong: Who is your favourite designer? Who is your favourite
Artist (Painter)? Who is your favourite Photographer?
Peter Saville: If it's clothes, I'd have to say Martin
Margeila. Recently, I visited the Mies pavilion in Barcelona and what can
we say? I'd be happy living in his sensibility. As a teenager, my first
favourite was Peter Phillips. Subsequently, Allen Jones... Universally,
Andy Warhol. Intellectually, Richard Hamilton. I find photography too broad
to have a favourite.
Tom Hingston, London: There's always pieces of work which you will hold
a lot of affection towards. name one of your sleeves that still makes your
eyes smile and why?
Peter Saville: The diptych of Blue Monday and Power
Corruption and Lies. Blue Monday is the most important single work I've
ever done and Power Corruption and Lies strikes a balance between Classicism
and Romanticism. I am always somewhere, on a sliding scale, between those
two points.
Brian Pemberton, Bexhill: Do you think your clients
would take offence to your quote "I'm more interesting then any of
my clients"? If so, is that why you said it?
Peter Saville: I thought that might come back to haunt
me. It was a little bit of an outburst one day, brought upon by the frustration
of a service industry. I used to have opportunity for my own feelings in
my work. Obviously, these days, such opportunities are non-existent. It
would seem at present that I do have an audience for what I would like to
do, rather than for what someone feels i ought to do.
Alice Rawsthorn, Design Museum, London: You were recently quoted as saying:
"I haven't burdened myself with a successful design company".
Should we conclude from this that you don't believe it possible to combine
commercial and creative success?
Peter Saville: I think this applies quite particularly
to the graphic sector. Commercial success within the communications industry
is contingent upon corporate commissions. Corporations are not in the business
of truth. Creativity needs to be true. Design needs to be true, as the new
advertising it is losing its integrity. Integrity is sacrificed to profitability
in contemporary business. I don't like it anymore.
Greg Lindy, LA: Your work seems driven by approach rather than style. I
was wondering, with each project, do you essentially 'start from zero' -
do you go through a process of creating criteria based on the objectives
of the project that you design to - or, is it a more intuitive methodology
Peter Saville: Design is a custom process. One should
start from zero. The routes you outline are part of a symbiotic process,
there are the formal objectives which one must identify and there is one's
intuitive understanding. The two should not be separated. It is good to
keep saying to oneself throughout the design process 'do I like it?' and
wherever possible, to appreciate the mindset of the audience you are addressing.
If we part company with our own standards, what criteria can we use to judge
our work? Certainly, within the communications industry, a broad awareness
of life, culture and business is necessary. In every new client situation,
we have to fast-track to know how best to speak with and for our client.
Thanh X. Tran, Unknown: I have the utmost respect
for you, but when you say you don't care about graphic design why then,
do you do talks for AIGA? I find it puzzling.
Peter Saville: I will give a talk for the AIGA or
any similar organisation because I care about graphic designers. I care
about design generally. I'm just not so fascinated by 'graphic design' as
an end in itself.
David Bennewith, Auckland, New Zealand: You have
a distinctive style, is 'style as signature' important to you?
Peter Saville: I can see that there is an identifiable
style in how I put things together. But that's something I can't help. Signature
as self is unavoidable. As a graphic designer, it is nearly always 'my work
for X'. It's important to remember that.
Mark Hopper, i-D Magazine, London: How tricky
was it to preserve the 'True Faith' leaves for over 15 years? Any tips on
leaf preservation?
Peter Saville: Actually, Trevor (Key) looked after
them. Trevor never threw anything away, telling me, it would always come
in useful another day. The True Faith leaf passed its sell-by date into
legend. I think we have to thank Trevor for its place in a museum now.
Alex, Unknown: Define what a modern day art director versus a creative director
does and how do these roles differ from magazine to record company?
Peter Saville: When you've done a lot of art directing,
you can become a Creative Director. In truth, these are quite arbitary titles
that have no particular professional distinctions. These titles have a lot
to do with social and organisational politics. Directors tend to make decisions
rather than do things. The decisions made in the creation of a magazine
obviously differ to the decisions at a record company. Experience/wisdom
are required in both scenarios. The art director/creative director role
can vary enormously from merely commissioning a particular team to realise
a project, to carrying out almost every stage of the process personally.
i see such variation in different organisations that there doesn't seem
to be any standard.
Gary Ellis, Art Director from the North of England working in Southern California/Harris
Buétefonte, Bay Area, SF: Compared to the North of England, what
effects did living and working in LA have on you, and how were these manifest
in your approach to your work, and the results?
Peter Saville: Similar amounts of driving. I never
came to terms with working in Los Angeles. Too much air conditioning. Los
Angeles is a lovely place for meetings and I'd quite like to have a studio
there, by a beach, but I'd have to be doing my own work. I found the business
of LA quite unattractive. From a point of view of living there, it's nice
to know you have a ticket out, rather like the North of England.
Penny Martin, Editor, SHOWstudio, London: To a
large extent, Peter Saville is defined by the women he surrounds himself
with, yet you seldom chose to employ any. Why is this?
Peter Saville: First of all, any that surround me
are friends rather than placements. Traditionally, there were not so many
girls in graphic design. These days there are. If I was in a position to
employ people at present, I would be delighted to have some of the new generation
of female designers. I think it's easier for the boys to put up with the
unsociable demands of working with me. Whenever my assistants have been
single, they found time for me. That's how we work. My work and relationships
have never gone together. For me or for the people i work with. If you have
nobody to go home to, staying with me until midnight is tolerable.
Ada Fung, London: What is the importance of being
a designer apart from discovering aesthetic possibilities and being so-called
'creative'?
Peter Saville: First of all, you be a designer because
you want to be. There is no importance other than self-fulfilment unless
we endeavour to contribute something to our world.
Nick Knight, London: What would you rather be,
a fashion photographer or a pop star?
Peter Saville: Twenty to thirty, popstar. Thirty onwards,
fashion photographer.
Kate Sennert, New York, USA: Do you think of yourself
as having some sort of ethos?
Peter Saville: I didn't know it, but I have an instinctive
one. My conscious motivations have shifted over twenty years. Actually,
I am surprised by what I feel strongly about these days. I wonder: am I
a different person or did I just not know who I was? As professional, commissioned
work has increasingly lost its appeal for me, I've had to think a lot about
what matters most to me in order to find somewhere to go and something to
do. I haven't quite got the answer to that.
Richard Harrington, Amsterdam: How many women have you slept with?
Peter Saville: Actually, I don't know. I thought I
was looking for someone particular, but then I stopped when I realised that
I was just looking. Unexpectedly, then, I think I found her.
A.J. Wells, San Francisco, USA: How much of your time is devoted to pornography?
Do you spend more time obtaining it, organising it or enjoying it?
Peter Saville: It's only like video rental. It's always
better in the imagination. Generally, it gets me away from issues of aesthetics,
but recently, I've found myself seeing ideas and art in it and it takes
me back to work. Football is safer.
Nick Knight, London: Who is the sexiest women
alive?
Peter Saville: Someone I mustn't embarrass online.
She knows who she is.
Nick Knight, London: What makes you laugh?
Peter Saville: Whenever I stop worrying about things.
I am instinctively happy but life makes me quite sad.
Mark Wager, NYC: Nick Knight's got a super swanky
house in the country. What's your place like?
Peter Saville: I don't have a place. A nice studio
space where I should live, but don't because it's the studio and a quite
handsome storeroom on the City Road in London.
Production Department, Unknown: What colour underpants are you wearing?
Peter Saville: No colour.
Steve Mackey, London: What are you having for
dinner tonight - prawn cocktail at 1135?
Peter Saville: I think I'd like to go to Carluccios
in Smithfield tonight. Would you like to book a table, Steve for around
10.30? You can order for me if you'd like to invite me.
Michael C. Place, London: Worth it? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3202166657&category=2328
(Fac 1 poster:£2000)
Peter Saville: Definitely. I can't imagine what value
that piece will ultimately realise. It's a moment in history.
Paul, London: When were you happiest?
Peter Saville: Actually, when I was at school. Before
I really discovered girls.
Scott King, London: Do you ever consider giving
in to COMFORT? If so, why don't you?
Peter Saville: At present, I don't have any to give
in to and haven't had for some time. I don't know where it's going to come
from as it would have to be mental as well as physical.
Penny Martin, Editor-in-Chief, SHOWstudio, London:
If you were to strip away the appearance and stylish trappings of Peter
Saville. What kind of human being would remain?
Peter Saville: There has been rather a lot of emphasis
on this of late. It was interesting to overhear at the Design Museum opening
(of The Peter Saville Show), comments such as 'what a lot of work', as if
I didn't really do anything other than be me. In a service industry, you've
got to do a hell of a lot for anybody to ever notice YOU. I am not a public
figure. My work has come before me. Personally, i am very self-conscious
and in some ways insecure. Attempts at personal image have been to compensate
for this. Obviously, I've overdone it. Now, I feel happy within myself.
i know that I have done something useful that can't be taken away and luckily,
I've found that stylish trappings are recyclable. As a person, I'm both
selfish and generous at the same time. I think a lot about myself but try
to remember that there are other people around me.
This Q&A originally appeard on SHOWstudio Copyright
SHOWstudio.com
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