No man is an island. People are gradually realizing how important home is, the destination of life, and community, the nerve endings of social governance.
Anton Sibik, the honorary professor of Tongji University and a famous designer, is perhaps the “foreigner” in Shanghai who has the most unique insights and deep understanding of family and community.
html For more than 0 years, he has been advocating and practicing it to make people pay more attention to their homes and communities, hoping that more people will participate and try to change.This is a popular video on social media:
In Anshan Village, Yangpu District, Shanghai, a 60-year-old foreigner was riding a shared bicycle leisurely in the community, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. Also chatting with people in a friendly way. If there are admirers, he will also show them his 34-square-meter apartment.
It is hard to imagine that this seemingly ordinary foreigner is actually the world-class design master Anton Sibik. A top Italian designer traveled thousands of miles to "take root" in a workers' village built in the 1950s, and "live" in a 50-year-old husband's house - what attracted him?
Starting from his small house in Shanghai, Anton Sibic tells us his story with Shanghai.
Anton Sibik was born in 1955 in the town of Schio, Vicenza, Italy. Famous designer, founding member of Memphis Design Group, high-end foreign expert from China's State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. He is currently an honorary professor at Tongji University in Shanghai and an honorary professor of urban studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
"His smile complements the colorfulness of his home."
Professor Anton Sibik said bluntly: "My apartment may be one of the most publicized houses in China in recent years. You can see it through many ways."
Indeed, this 34-square-meter small house first appeared in a design magazine. After that, it gradually "came out of the circle" and appeared frequently. It was called the "dream house" by many people. All this speaks volumes about its influence.
However, when you actually step inside, it’s still hard to believe that a house can have such rich, bold colors, textures and artwork.
Sibik used green jade, bright yellow, and true red to determine the tone of the entire apartment. These colors also extend from the walls, and the lamps and furnishings echo this. Even the fruits and flowers are ripe to the right degree—red ones Apple and golden pineapple. The interior of the
apartment consists of a living room, dining room and bedroom with a large window at one end, and a small kitchen and bathroom at the back of the room. Perhaps inspired by the public fitness equipment in the community, Sibik nailed a wooden frame in the center of the room as a good helper for exercising.
Many of the indoor objects were designed by Sibik himself. For example, the small donut-shaped wooden stool on the carpet was made by him; the bright yellow desk was a sample he designed after coming to China; The colorful utensil set was created for the brand for which he served successively as art director and creative and cultural consultant.
Through the blinds, dense light comes in. Small landscape objects created by Sibik appear in every corner, making the entire apartment a self-contained world.
67-year-old Anton Sibik lives here alone. When asked about his daily routine, Sibik mentioned the essential "morning training" - tidying up his home every morning. This has a sense of ritual to start a new day: "It's not out of self-discipline or obsessive-compulsive disorder, but out of love."
Sibik loves to laugh. During interviews, his bright smile always shines from the bottom of his brows. The inside overflows and complements the colorfulness of the home. Such a contagious smile only belongs to those who have true happiness and satisfaction in their hearts.
Sibik believes that a person's home reflects his attitude towards life. If he is surrounded by beauty, he will naturally be able to enjoy beauty more. As the Italian "Living" magazine said of him: "The nature of beauty is deeply rooted in his genetic factors, so the living space designed is both humane and pleasing to the eye."
"In this room, his favorite It's "old""
There are unexpected surprises everywhere in Sibik's home.
The ground is covered with recyclable solid wood flooring, which is made of repeatedly used wood; the ornaments on the dining table are all "trophies" he bought from the second-hand market; he also gave him a small bamboo chair purchased online and small bamboo stool upholstered in hand-stitched Italian upholstery. The upholstery is thoughtfully custom-made by my wife’s studio “nothingnew.it” – it’s made from recycled old linen fabrics.
Sibik said: "Everything has its own attributes, and design should be about discovery rather than change." In his view, natural beauty should be valued and applied in interior design. For example, the texture of wood is natural and simple, and it brings different visual and psychological feelings to people. The texture and grain of wood also form a kind of beauty.
Because of this, when asked what he liked most about this room, Sibic's answer was: "I like the 'old' here the most."
's experience as a designer made Sibic discover that every A large amount of waste is produced every day. A while ago, he visited Nan'an, Fujian Province, where marble is produced, and found that 60% to 70% of the raw materials were discarded. "This is a huge waste." The same phenomenon also exists in Jingdezhen, and the scrap rate of ceramics is also quite high.
How to use old materials is a major feature in Sibik's design works. Sibik believes that how to use these ready-made materials, "turn waste into treasure" and give them new life is the focus that designers and architects should focus on. "Many of these materials can be reused. These wastes should be collected to form a market for old materials for designers to choose from, thus reducing new felling and mining. For designers, we need to sprout Come up with more and better ideas, give new life to old things, and at the same time make these works as beautiful as possible to reduce consumers’ discarding behavior.”
He wants to establish a balance, a balance between nature and technology, and combine it. as a force for design production and regeneration.
"A unique sense of reality, a sense of close community"
Does a house of 34 square meters feel small? The question popped out of my mouth.
Sibik answered this way: "I can live in a small space. As long as the surroundings meet my daily needs, the community is my living room."
Unlike many foreigners who like Xintiandi and old bungalows, Sibik likes old houses very much. Community, he thinks this is where most Shanghainese live. In Sibik's eyes, the complete community services and warm neighborhood life make Shanghai unique, allowing this foreign designer who came to a foreign land with only a backpack to see the warm fireworks of multiculturalism.
As long as Sibik walks around the community, he will meet many of his old acquaintances, and many people who come towards him will naturally greet him. He has many friends, such as Zhang Zhiping, the owner of the laundry downstairs. It was Zhang Zhiping who helped introduce the house that Sibik currently lives in. To express his gratitude, Sibik also helped redesign the sign of the laundry; for example, the repairman in the community, " We rely entirely on translation apps to communicate, and every time he sees me, he will show a big smile." For example, the security guard in the community thinks that Sibik is strong and always wants to ask him to work out together.
Sibik feels that he has an emotional connection with the people in the community. He wants to know more about the people living here and let everyone know him better. Therefore, he likes to sit outside the coffee shop connected to his studio and share stories with passing neighbors.
Sibic in front of the NICE2035 community (Photo by Yuxin Zhang)
When visiting a community barber shop with only one mirror and one stool, when feeling the laughter and excitement of the kindergarten after school in the community, and when experiencing the life of Shanghai citizens up close , "You don't even realize that you are in a huge city with a population of more than 20 million. The stories here represent another side of Shanghai."
Sibic made no secret of his love and respect for Shanghai: “I found a unique sense of reality here, a close sense of community. Many people can design spaces, but not life." He has three homes in the world, one each in Los Angeles, Milan and Shanghai, and Shanghai is his favorite.
"The community can help us rebuild our ability to love"
In the five villages of Anshan, Xibi is not the only one. There is also a magical place in Sibik's small apartment - the "Good Commune" that Sibik participated in the design.
is very trendy here: through spatial division, Sibic has turned the "Good Commune" into a collection of shared office areas, coffee shops, shared kitchens, co-creation living rooms, art galleries and other functions, which can satisfy different communities A "treasure box" for interactive needs. This creative space unexpectedly blends into the old community: it uses a lot of warm colors and rough materials and textures, and installs sound-absorbing walls and soundproof windows and doors to minimize disturbing the peaceful life of nearby residents.
This new space collided with the living and cultural needs of community residents, creating popularity and novelty. This is how the "chemical reaction" between SIBIC and the old Shanghai community took place.
This is the first time that Sibic has directly lived in his own project, "Renovation and Co-creation of Five Villages in Anshan - NICE2035 Future Life Prototype Street". In his vision, communities and community spaces are seen as extensions of homes, and old communities can be reborn without major demolition and construction. At the same time, it also allows "hidden residents in the old community and creative people who are hiding in the city to release their ideas and energy here, and use their own abilities to activate the community."
In the past, residents in the community who were good at design would hold workshops here on weekends and bring everyone together to create interesting works; those who were good at cooking would do experimental dish development here. An engineer who lives nearby even quit his job to start a plant-based culinary venture. Louis, the bean hunter, opened his first cafe here. After the grandparents have finished shopping, they will come over and order a latte to take home.
During the epidemic lockdown, the love between neighbors has never disappeared. Today, this kind of fireworks is recovering and will continue.
Of course, difficulties still exist. For example, the commune once proposed a graffiti wall, but residents complained. Sibic immediately stopped it: "The residents cannot accept it, which means it is not suitable for this place at all." In addition, Sibic also designed unique sculptures for the community. , but the long vertical cylinder is always used as a trash can.
However, in the view of Lu Zhou, the president of "Good Commune", the look of the community is gradually becoming clearer. If urban renewal and community transformation can bring new life to these "old and broken" and become the front end of urban innovation, it will add more power to innovation for a city.
Standing in front of the "Good Commune", Sibic described his ideal future community: "Maybe it can help us rebuild our ability to love."
"The lives of residents are the foundation of a city."
Speaking of Sibik, Lu Zhou’s evaluation of him was unexpected - "immature": "Although he is over 60 years old, his mentality is very young, maybe only 16 years old. He has a heart for knowledge and adventure, and for the sake of creation , willing to try a lot of new things. "
" Immature" is not usually considered a positive trait. However, in design, the openness and optimism contained in the always "immature" spirit can be regarded as rare qualities. Sibik is just such a person who has the unremitting enthusiasm of a young man and maintains a broad vision that has not yet matured in his career.
For those who know design, the "Memphis School" is no stranger. They actively seek inspiration from pop art, African art, and Latin American art. Their works have eccentric forms, strong dramatic effects, and are often unexpected. "Memphis" is also a label on Sibik. He is a founding member of the Memphis group, and his apartment is proof of it.
However, Sibic isn't keen on continuing to live off Memphis' past, instead viewing it as the past and determined to focus on the future.
He always turns on his antenna to receive inspiration anytime and anywhere, and he creates flowers with wonderful skills.Even in a scene that seems to have the least novelty like a vegetable market - after picking and choosing for a long time, I finally found my "favorite" piece of ginger in the basket covered by the cloth by the stall owner, "the one with the most peculiar appearance" That piece".
He has also been creating wonders and trends: working in various fields, creating countless works of design and research, never limiting himself to a single discipline. Many of his projects and research works are still relevant today. Among them, there are studies on people creating relationships in the environment - "Micro Reality"; there are studies that challenge existing development models and lifestyles - "Rethinking Happiness"; there are also many re-examinations of art installations in public spaces. Design brings a touch of bright color to life.
In 2003, Sibic came to Shanghai for the first time for a design project. That year, he collaborated with teachers and students of Tongji University to launch the "Shanghai: Made in Italy" themed exhibition at Milan Design Week. During the project cooperation, he frequently traveled between Venice and Shanghai like a migratory bird.
In 2019, he received an invitation to cooperate from Lou Yongqi, dean of the School of Design and Innovation at Tongji University—Lou Yongqi is an old friend of Sibik, and the two have the same research interests. This time, Lou Yongqi invited Sibic to Shanghai to participate in the theme research "Urban Renewal and Construction of New Suburban Communities". Sibic readily accepted the invitation and moved directly to Shanghai: "I decided to stay here."
Since Sibic settled in China, the projects he has worked on have become more diverse.
For example, he plans to design 100 new subway stations in Shanghai. Because creating places for residents’ daily travel, activities and interactions should be the foundation for a city to be called a city. In Sibik's view, the importance of creating urban public spaces far outweighs the high-rise buildings that symbolize urban prosperity. He wanted these new subway stations, mostly located in suburban areas, to give people a sense of identity and belonging.
He advocated that the city should enter the countryside and the countryside should enter the city. Under his design, a 4-square-kilometer agricultural park that can accommodate 8,000 residents is being created in Chongming. Sibic's design preserves agricultural land and provides residents with large green spaces. In his opinion, the biggest challenge of this project is how to design a shared service center in this new community, launch new activities, and create new neighborhood relationships that are coordinated with the entire area. "This is not about invading the countryside, but about imagining a lifestyle that makes nature a part of daily experience."
"Beauty has nothing to do with luxury, it exists in everyone's heart"
Shangguan News: In 2019, you decide to stay in Shanghai Settling down, why is life here so attractive to you?
Anton Sibic: In fact, many people have asked me, why is China so attractive to me? I think China is on the rise and everything here is changing. Here, you can see a continuously developing and progressive society and what the future will look like. But people here still maintain curiosity, yearn for new things, and have feelings for old things.
When I turned 60, I wanted to live a richer life and spend the rest of my life in the most meaningful place. I had lived in the United States and Europe before, but I felt like those places no longer appealed to me.
As a practitioner in the design field, I have seen with my own eyes the development trajectory of the Western design industry. Since the middle of the 20th century, modern design has evolved from the glory of Denmark and Italy to the prosperity of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Japan, Portugal and other countries. From historical laws, we see similarities in patterns.
With the rise of China's economy and the growth of a new generation of design forces, more and more ordinary Chinese people have a strong sense of self-expression. Although Chinese design has not yet reached the point where people will say "Wow, Chinese design" when mentioned, but as long as more of their own culture is sold, the era of "Chinese design" will definitely come. I feel so happy to be a part of such a wonderful moment.
Shangguan News: We have seen that many of your design works also incorporate elements of traditional Chinese culture.
Anton Sibik: I am picky about the environment I live in. No matter where I am, I want to create a residence according to my preferences. My current home is only 34 square meters, it's a very minimalist way of living, but it's really the best place I've ever lived in my life. I think this is an exercise in how to make high-quality designs with the least amount of money.
I have my own ideas about culture. Nowadays, I am also gradually absorbing Chinese culture. Maybe the style in my small house will become more and more Chinese. But I believe in real things, and what I pursue is a way of self-expression, rather than soullessly pursuing Chinese things in order to fit in here.
Shangguan News: You attach great importance to the connection between design and people and life. Therefore, "people-oriented" is also one of the indispensable principles in your product, interior and architectural design. What kind of interaction and emotional connection do you want to create between a space and the people in it?
Anton Sibik: Design should be dynamic, lively, pleasing to the eye, and at the same time improve people's lives from a spiritual level, not just functionally. Whether they are elders or young children, people like it and love it because it has a soul and can give people a good feeling. I hope it can send a signal: happiness is just a feeling, it has nothing to do with wealth and poverty, it is connected with the heart. A truly good home space must be a carrier of life and life, rather than a tool for showing off and showing off. This is something I especially want to emphasize.
No matter how big or small your house is, as long as you are willing, you can get this aesthetic that is more "down to earth" and close to life. Beauty has different levels. It can be the majesticness of a symphony or the gentleness and grace of a sonata. Beauty has nothing to do with luxury, nor is it exclusive to the elite. It exists in everyone's heart and breeds different poetic lives.
Shangguan News: Some people say that you are always "immature". Do you agree?
Anton Sibic: After the 1990s, economic globalization and global marketization broke the original state. "Sincere" and "experimental" design thinking and pure love for life are gradually replaced by "economic interests" and "market value". Therefore, I often tell myself to always maintain that original enthusiasm, don’t be afraid to take risks, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. As Nobel Prize winner Michael Levitt once said: "An outstanding scientist faces the risk of failure 99% of the time. If you have never experienced this moment, it only means that what you are doing is too simple. ”
And more importantly, never become an expert, but become an imaginative reformer, maintaining an innocence about the complexity of the world and the problems it faces. This should be true for all problems.
column editor: Gong Danyun
source: author: Wang Yi
