Interview: Artist and Designer Yinka Ilori

The passionate Nigerian-Brit shapes a sense of belonging into conceptual chairs

“When I went to Nigeria for the first time I saw my grandmother and she spoke no English at all, but she spoke to us through what she was wearing,” says artist/designer Yinka Ilori. “Her clothes were really beautiful and empowering—and she looked really happy. I wanted to take a bit of that from her, so I studied my culture and my language and identity …

Interview: Ma Yansong, Founder MAD Architects

Discussing perspective, nature and function in the wake of the PHAIDON book focused on the company's designs

by Alessandro De Toni When Westerners think about Chinese architecture, we oftentimes have two images in mind: old, grand pagodas settled on the top of a hill or titanic mega-projects breaking global records. Understanding the essence of Chinese architecture isn’t easy. Ma Yansong is a name that’s undeniably played a major role in shaping the idea of contemporary Chinese architecture and urban development in the …

Interview: Massimo Bottura

We speak with the poetic Italian chef about the flavor of cars

Chef Massimo Bottura, owner of three-Michelin star Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy is a master and an artist who speaks like a poet. Given their shared hometown, Maserati partnered with Bottura to look at cars through the lens of food and brought him to the Geneva Motor Show for an unexpected food-focused press conference. “I compress in to edible bites my passion,” he said during …