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/// DESIGN STORIES / Interview with Rudy Ricciotti



                                                           The Master


                                                           of


                                                   CONCRETE






                                                                   RUDY RICCIOTTI
                                                                   RUDY RICCIOTTI AGENCY
                                                                   PARIS (FRANCE)


                                                                   THE FRENCH ARCHITECT FROM BANDOL HAS AN INNATE
                                                                   SENSE OF FORM AND ESTHETICS; HE IS A PAST MASTER
                                                                   OF  SCULPTED  CONCRETE,  BRINGING CEMENT TO
                                                                   LIFE WITH CURVES AND LATTICE WORK.   THE MUCEM
                                                                   IN MARSEILLE, THE COCTEAU MUSEUM IN MENTON,
                                                                   THE ISLAMIC ARTS SECTION OF THE LOUVRE, THE
                                                                   PAVILLON NOIR PERFORMING ARTS THEATRE IN AIX-EN-
                                                                   PROVENCE... EACH OF HIS GRACEFUL, EMBLEMATIC
                                                                   CREATIONS IS AN ODE TO BEAUTY. HERE WE BRING YOU
                                                                   A FRANK INTERVIEW ON THE LAUNCH OF HIS LATEST
                                                                   BOOK:   L’EXIL DE LA  BEAUTÉ,  (THE EXILE OF BEAUTY)
    26                                                             PUBLISHED BY ÉDITIONS TEXTUEL*.


             So, Rudy Ricciotti, concrete is your speciality and you manage   The construction of any major city has to take into account
             to make it bold and beautiful while others see it as something   pedestrians.    What  is an architect’s role  in relation to the
             rather cold. Would it be true to say that “Concrete and Old   quality of life of a neighbourhood?
             Lace” could be your trademark?                        R.R.: The architect is responsible for creating something that
             R.R.:  Well I don’t go in much for word play when it comes to   is beautiful and durable as well as bringing dignity to a space.
             architecture: what I try to do is construct whole sentences, trying   Talking about pedestrianisation in the same breath as the visual
             to avoid mistakes. Telling a story often requires a feminine touch.   aspect seems ridiculous. Visual beauty opens up a greater sen-
             Over time, and with the application of a certain amount of science,   sual awareness.
             my work has become more feminine, more graceful. Femininity   New types of behaviour and changing needs are driving the
             has, at its core, a well-constructed narrative, like a scientific   ways in which towns and public spaces are used. Have you
             experiment taken to extreme lengths.                  noticed  a trend  towards  beautifying the mundane and  the
             Does architecture today concern itself with  creating a new   utilitarian in public spaces?
             sense of transience, giving the viewer the idea of a fleeting   R.R.: It needs to be more than just a trend, it’s an urgent neces-
             breach in time and space?                             sity. This pathological deterioration is spreading like a virus... I
             R.R.: A narrative demands continuity rather than a breach.   have not seen much improvement. Our public spaces are being
             It is fundamentally important to establish a narrative in   ruined by advertising and logos, by consumerism. And pessi-
             order to make a stand against the way in which beauty is   mism is taking hold in spite of the talent we have among French
             being ostracised.                                     architects.
             Your projects often target diverse audiences: stadia,   Is this refusal to cast beauty aside your new battleground?
             museums, universities, and now Lillenium, a combination of   R.R.:  Making beauty a conscious choice in this day and age
             a shopping center and gallery. What are the challenges that   requires commitment and resilience. I am fighting against the
             these projects have in common?                        collapse of esthetics.  I may not be capable of defining beauty,
             R.R.: What they have in common is a reliance on crafts and   but I can define ugliness. Fighting against the disfigurement of
             trades which allows us to promote French craftsmanship and   our cities and our landscapes is quite patriotic, don’t you think?
             the local economy.                                    Your projects often use DELABIE products, Were you aware
                                                                   of that?
                                                                   R.R.: Ah yes, the urinals! They remind me that Marcel Duchamp
                                       *L'exil de la beauté, éditions Textuel, 2019
                                              Photo credit: © René Habermacher     was French!  So as a proud patriot, that suits me just fine!
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