I draw inspiration from everything, architecture to zoology. Quite often, I study what other designers are doing and I look to create the things I don’t see.
Lowtop Sorbet, Photo: courtesy YJL Collection
Can you talk about your practice in the light of a global pandemic and sociopolitical crisis—what changed, what remains the same?
These times are unprecedented, and with the quarantine, I find myself with a lot more time on my hands. I’ve been balancing my designer and artist hats. One day, I’m designing prototypes to appeal to the masses, and the next day I’m crafting one-of-a-kind pieces solely to express myself during this sociopolitical reckoning.
Traveller/Photo: courtesy YJL Collection
Where do you see the future of design in the post-COVID world?
I think our post-Covid world is really just gonna be a world with Covid and everything that accompanies it. Masks, illness, vaccines and frustrations will serve as reminders of how fragile life is, especially for those whose lives already hang in the balance. Design will be more introspective with both designers and people in general looking to make statements with the things we produce and purchase.
Greek-born Vasia Rigou is a journalist, editor and multimedia content producer largely on the subjects of visual art, culture, architecture and design. She currently serves as an Editor at Newcity, Chicago’s leading culture publication, as Writer and Copy Editor at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) HQ, and regularly contributes to international architecture and design magazines OnOffice and ICON. She has experience creating content for brands and building conference speeches and influential TEDx talks. Simply put: she’s fascinated by finding out the great stories behind the people, places and objects that surround us, and by sharing those stories with the world. When she’s not writing about art or looking at art—wine in hand—she makes lists for pretty much everything, drinks immense amounts of coffee and takes cross-country road trips every chance she gets.
