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Contributor:
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Babble On. | Login
Babble On. | Login
Channels: European Design
Nasir Kassamali is the owner of the design store, Luminaire, which specializes in lighting, furniture and accessory products. Kassamali is known for being the leading messenger for international design in the U.S. Here, Kassamali introduces the fourth session of the International Design Symposium that was hosted by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The fourth session includes discussions on marketing.
Good afternoon. I am more than pleased to be a part of the symposium and to be in the presence of some of the most well respected names in the design industry.
I would like to thank Craig Miller for inviting me to participate in this symposium. This session addresses ways in which contemporary design is presented and sold in the market.
Besides public showrooms offering design products, there are now galleries that will stay with those designers, produce their work in limited editions and sell the pieces.
Auction houses in recent years have also become a major force in selling contemporary design on a global scale,
and then there are firms that work to build a reputation and the careers of designers and companies.
I will briefly.... I will begin by briefly introducing myself and my company Luminair.
Luminair was born as a visionary environment representing the intense appreciation of design by myself and my wife.
Since 1974, we have worked hard to change the entire system of distribution for contemporary design.
Thirty five years later, we continue to alter Luminair’s existence always maintaining a leadership role
in bringing the best designs from around the world to the American public and making good design part of many people lives.
Design is an all encompassing philosophy about living. Design shapes identity. Design.... good design also drives innovation.
In our work and leisure, we are surrounded at every instance by a multitude of things which have been manufactured industrially
in series and with more or less taste. Design is the sum total of all these efforts ended making industrial products
not only technically functional but also tastefully and artistically perfect. In that context, good form is not just a fashionable wrapping.
Apart from the utility value, design products mostly confer additional benefits in our sales promoting affect.
When we began Luminair, it was extremely difficult for consumers to have access to good design.
Design was the sacred entity and not be embraced as the way of life. We were amongst the first design resource to provide open access to the public
and the ability to truly experience and acquire design at pricing that was traditionally reserved for the trade. Today, the scene has changed.
Design is offered as a way of life. The American consumer has a possibility of experiencing design on an everyday basis through a showroom like ours,
the endorsment of national and international media, great museum such as IMA, design fairs, and the internet.
Exposure is a prerequisite for generating awareness but not innate taste that is what mistakenly the world would like to label Americans with.
It’s all about the people. Good design only matters when it is useful to people, when people have the opportunity to interact with it,
when it connects people and inspires them. People not just now but always feel the need to be connected to things around them.
Materialism and using objects to assert cultural status distorts the real connection that one can have with the environment
but at the same time reveals a need for connection. We believe that inspiring our clients to open their minds and to see design as an environment
helps them connect with design in new life changing ways. Design surrounds them as a third skin.
The second skin being the cloths they wear. Clients are more than consumers.
They are participants, partners, connected by a shared love for good design. Luminair has cultivated meaningful relationships with the press,
with important emerging and established designers, and with manufacturers, since 1979. Most of the world’s
best designer and architects have given lectures at Luminair, exhibitions dedicated to their work.
Keeping events on a small scale and catering to the different audiences separately maintains the one on one personal feeling
while ensuring the programming suites the specific needs of our varied audiences in Miami and Chicago.
Designers and manufactures personally connect with our clients and the public sharing the knowledge and passion for good design. Finally,
Luminair is more than just a furniture store. Puppy Love and Paper Love are just 2 examples of innovative exhibitions
where one of a kind commissioned pieces by designers such as Marcel Wanders, Bouroullec Brothers,
Konstantin Grcic, and Tord Boontje were auctioned to raise almost $750,000 to fund
cancer research, a cause that is very close our hearts. Also, in a vibrant spirit of experimentation and public education,
our Luminair next temporary popup spaces push the boundaries of design. Visitors are inspired to share their stories, connect with others,
and experience thought provoking design in a dynamic setting. Regular events like film screenings, discussion groups,
and book signings intellectually stimulate visitors. Young upcoming designers and architects are given a forum to show and express their ideas to the general public.
By emotionally connecting with all the people around us and helping them love design, we spread our appreciation for good design all over the world.
The people we connect with understand design as more than an object but an environment.
Design works.... design becomes part of themselves, a part of their community a way to interact in the world
and share a love for exploring and experiencing and living. Now I would like to introduce the speakers for the session.
George Beylerian, I have known George for almost 30 years. If I were to spend time speaking about all of his achievements
it would take me more than an hour for this handsome man has reinvented himself so many times.
George Beylerian started his first business as a creative retailer when it was not very common to be a design retailer.
In 1970, he signed up to represent Kartel in the US and eventually moved the production of Kartel to the US.
He distributed Kartel through a multichannel distribution system selling to retailers as well as department stores.
He eventually sold the distribution back to Kartel after running it for 12 years. George then created Beylerian importing Italian furniture in the showrooms in New York and Chicago.
He eventually sold that business to Steelcase and as a brand manager completely altered the dull image of Steelcase by bringing them closer
to adopting design as a driving force with creativities as [inaudible] design, edible architecture and other materials.
In 1997, George founded a very innovative company, Material Connexion.
His strategies for marketing and these are initiatives and he is principally responsible for the company’s global relationships.
Material Connexion has offices in 5 countries now. There is not one person in the design world that has not heard of George Beylerian.
The Grand Tapo design. Didier Krzentowski, Didier is a cofounder with his wife Klemens
of Paris based Galerie Kreo which opened in 1999. The gallery is a research laboratory
that focuses on commissioning and producing limited edition work by European designers, notably Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec,
Pierre Charpin, Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson. Prior to entering the design world,
Krzentowski worked for his family ski-wear company, Killy for 15 years. Didier is a passionate collector of contemporary art and design
He is also a license expert in contemporary art and design. Now... I will... I have tried this so many times last night but please bare with me.
A member of the union francaise, these experts.... okay I’ll give up. [laughter] I asked him and he translated.
He is an expert, an authority and a licensed person that will value something for the customers and takes authorities.
Didier is also in the process of putting together the catalogs of the work of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Marc Newson, and Martin Szekely.
Our next 2 panelists come from very very different backgrounds.
Susan Grant Lewin is also a dear friend of mine is a recognized authority on marketing, public relations, plan building,
and image enhancement for all aspects of the design industry. Throughout her career, which has included positions as a journalist, corporate communications executive,
and public relations consultant, Susan has consistently pushed the boundaries of creating marketing at the highest levels of design experience.
She founded Susan Grant Lewin Associates in 1996 and has since served some of the world’s most prestigious designers, architects, and corporations.
During her tenure as the global creative director for Formica Corporation, Susan received worldwide recognition
for repositioning the century old company as a design leader in both the trade and consumer markets.
One outstanding example of her imaginative approach to furthering Formica’s mission was the award winning surface and ornamentation exhibition.
Susan Grant Lewin has received numerous awards including honors from the American Institute of Architects,
The International Furnishings and Design Association. She is also the author of Formica Design from countertop to high art.
Rizzoli Internation Publishing.... Publishers published the book in 1991 and One of a Kind American
Art Jewelry Today published in 1995. Richard Wright, Richard Wright is the founder and President of Wright Auction in Chicago.
Since its first sale in 2000, Richard has grown to be the defining auction house in the field of modern design.
Richard has 22 years of experience in handling and documenting 20th century works. Sharing his expertise,
Richard has published several books and monographs in addition to over 50 award winning auction catalogs on the subject.
Richard is also pioneered the sale of important architecture as design in a supported contemporary artist commissioning prominent designers
such as Eric Levy, Martino Gamper, and [unclear speech] to bring unique exhibitions to Wright's showroom in Chicago.
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