THE FAMILY / Arik Levy

 

Designer, technician, artist, photographer, filmmaker, ARIK LEVY's skills are multi-disciplinary and his work can be seen in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Best known publicly for his furniture design for global companies, installations and limited editions, Levy nevertheless feels "The world is about people, not tables and chairs." Hailing originally from Israel and moving to Europe in 1988, Levy currently works in Paris with his 20-strong team of designers and graphic artists forming L design. Under the vision of Levy and his associate, Pippo Lionni, the firm also produces brand identities, packaging, signage, exhibition and interior design… His formation was unconventional where surfing and his graphic design studio took up much of his time back home. However, following studies at the Art Center Europe in Switzerland where he gained a distinction in Industrial Design in 1991, Levy's first international success was winning the Seiko Epson Inc. competition, which jettisoned him into the public consciousness as a "thinking" designer. After a stint in Japan where Levy consolidated his ideas producing products and pieces for exhibitions, the designer returned to Europe where he contributed his artistry to another field - contemporary dance and opera by way of set design. The creation of his firm then meant a foray back to his first love, Art and industrial design, as well as other branches of his talents. Levy also creates hi-tech clothing lines and accessories for firms in the Far East. Considering himself now more of a "feeling" designer, Arik Levy continues to contribute substantially to our interior and exterior milieu, his work including public sculpture - his signature Rock pieces - as well as complete environments that can be adapted for multi use. "Life is a system of signs and symbols," he says, "where nothing is quite as it seems."