IN CONVERSATION WITH PIERO LISSONI

Why not? Asks the veteran designer as he takes us through his creative trajectory and tells us what makes him tick

- NAMRATA DEWANJEE

“Listen, I was born in a country famous for its ice cream,” Piero Lissoni tells us about Milan, “But when I’m in New York, I like to try the local ice cream and the Italian gelato made in the USA. It’s horrible but I like to discover new things!” At first glance, this might seem like an innocuous anecdote about the uncertain state of ice cream culture around the world but it’s a window into the maverick mind of Piero. For the multihyphenated Italian architect, art director and designer, there is always a new horizon to explore. While his genius in the art of making is no secret, you might be surprised to discover how his curiosity also ranges outside the bounds of design. From trying a strangely blue Smurf dessert to travelling to Africa to “capture the special light, animals, dimension and the blue sky”, Piero is whom you’d describe as a man of the world with a voracious appetite for life.