Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines
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Bold, inventive and always original, Arne Quinze pushes the creative boundaries like no other designer. Over the past decade he has cast his design hand to furniture, sports shoes, art installations and much more. b.there! caught up with the undaunted designer in his showroom-cum-workshop in Kortrijk
Text Sheridan Becker
01 Where do you live and why?
Kortrijk, Belgium. I also have an art studio in Miami, Florida. When I’m there I can work in the sun, in the light, in the heat and in the nature. I love nature. It’s incredibly inspirational. But, I live in Belgium because you can’t beat the quality of life here – good food, theatre, movies and a lively fashion scene.
02 What career title comes first for you -artist, furniture designer or interior designer?
That’s a tough one. At first I was a designer and success in this area came rather suddenly for me. However all of my work right now is about my art, art installations and architecture – it’s a 24-hour job.
03 Where do you get your inspiration?
People. Cities. Movies. Music.
04 Let’s talk more about music. What kind of music do you listen to? Also we have heard that you are working on a project with Lenny Kravitz. Is this true?
We [Lenny and I] are good friends. We are currently working together on a project and this will be announced around mid- April of this year. And yes, I like all kinds of music – classical, jazz, hard rock. I even listen to dEus every now and then.
05 Do you still admire Picasso?
Always. He was an amazing individual. He created 250-300 pieces of art a year! I only wish I could have met him.
06 In your book Arne Quinze Works you mention working on a exhibition that will show what Brussels could be like 50 years from now. You say your interpretation is futuristic and realistic at the same time. Can you tell us a bit more about this project?
We need to change the way we live in cities. We need to communicate better with each other and then we can start to redesign and rebuild our cities. We also need to look at our approach to transport. I don’t believe we all need cars in a city anymore. The project I’m working on is a work in progress and will be finished in a year or two.
07 What are some of your favourite places to visit in Brussels?
Whenever I go to Brussels I try to discover new places because this is what makes the city unique. Brussels is filled with different neighbourhoods and areas. It’s like lots of small villages within a big city. A personal favourite would be L’Archiduc in Brussels. Of course, I also enjoy the BOZAR and for shopping I head over to the Rue Antoine Dansaert area. Restaurant-wise that’s a difficult choice because I tend to go to a new place every time I visit the city. If I had to recommend a restaurant it would be Chez Maria in Anderlect. And, a visit to a bookstore is a must. I like the new Taschen store on the Sablon. Also Copyright in Ghent and Antwerp are very good, too.
08 What are your hobbies?
I love to go to music stores. I’m a collector of all sorts of music. I also collect robots – I have hundreds of robots. Another hobby I have is to collect the ugliest thing on the planet – snowballs. I have hundreds of snowballs from all over the world because when you put all the snowballs together they start to look beautiful. I am also passionate about books – I love them.
09 What current projects are you working on?
I have a few projects in the works: To open a permanent gallery in Tokyo; a sculpture piece for the Champs Elysées; another sculpture piece consisting of an 800-metre steel bridge in Louisville, Missouri and the Square project in Brussels. I’m currently working on several commission pieces for clients in Algeria, Hong Kong, India, Los Angeles, Miami and Moscow. I enjoy every single project I take on. I would never take on a project, if I wasn’t eager to do it.
10 What are your goals in the next five years?
To be happy. To enjoy life even more. To be healthy. And to spend more time with my kids and my partner Barbara.
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