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| "There is a quiet uprising that has been started" – Ane Crabtree In an interview with Dezeen, costume designer Ane Crabtree spoke about how blood-red capes she created for the show have become a symbol of protest among women all over the world. |
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"It is necessary to oppose Trump" – Anish Kapoor
Artist Anish Kapoor is often hitting headlines for speaking out about political events and posting provocatively on Instagram. In February, he made the news for forming a coalition with over 200 creatives named Hands Off Our Revolution, aiming to stage exhibitions to confront right-wing populism.
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| "Scientists can show us what we shouldn't do, but we need designers to show us what we should do" – Babette Porcelijn In a year when the media was dominated by politics and Trump's tweets, Dutch designer and researcher Babette Porcelijn called for us to pay more attention to climate change and the hidden factors driving it, including what she claims is the biggest contributor – the manufacture of new products. Porcelijn stated that designers are best-equipped to offer solutions to environmental issues, but said it may mean creating more systems and less stuff. |
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| "If I was misogynist would I hire a woman as my CEO?" – Bjarke IngelsThe gender imbalance at BIG triggered a social media backlash earlier this year, after firm founder Bjarke Ingels posted a photograph on Instagram of all 12 partners captioned "BIG BOYS&GIRL". Ingels hit back at the accusations of sexism within the practice saying he was "shocked at the bullshit people were writing". |
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| "Brexit will isolate the UK" – David Chipperfield British architect David Chipperfield expressed concerns about the isolation that leaving the EU will cause. He said that we have things to learn from other cultures and that the breakdown of relationships that Brexit will cause is a "shocking loss". |
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| "I feel embarrassed by some of my buildings" – Kengo Kuma Kengo Kuma's stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has been under construction for all of 2017. The building – a wooden arena, with plants and trees filling the terraces that make up its exterior walls – is a far cry from the experimental projects that dominated Kuma's early career. |
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| "We are going into a future of catastrophe with our eyes wide open" – Neave Brown In September, US-born architect Neave Brown was awarded the 2018 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for his contribution to social housing. In an interview before the ceremony, Brown attacked the UK government in the aftermath of the fatal fire at London's Grenfell Tower this summer. Like many architects, he stated that it highlighted how sub-standard social housing is "England's most massive major social problem". |
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| "My children have taught me I should be much softer" – Peter Zumthor Over his five-decade career, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has attracted a cult following despite keeping a famously low profile in the media. Zumthor said he was trialling a more relaxed to approach to publicity based on the unlikely role model of Swiss tennis player Roger Federer – often a reluctant but relenting interviewee. |
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| "Robin Hood Gardens demolition is an act of vandalism" – Simon Smithson Politicians also came under attack from Simon Smithson – the son of Alison and Peter Smithson, the architects behind London's Robin Hood Gardens housing estate. The estate is currently being demolished despite years of campaigning from architects and heritage bodies. Smithson criticised the government for tampering with the heritage-listing system to erase prime examples of the UK's post-war architecture. |
Source: Dezeen's top 10 architecture and design quotes of 2017
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