Philippe Starck via the AFP

Starck issues interesting proclamations in this interview by the AFP. A sample: ‘We can only survive if united in Europe against the world’s new great masters from Asia,” said the man who July 1 becomes “artistic director” of France’s six-month EU stint. “We must bring more Europe into France, make people understand this is important.’

This from the engine behind the new Yoo by Starck brand launch in India (see this older post, and a related article from the Business Standard). Interesting that behind such ambitious global moves, the designer himself describes a continuing interest in more ethical and historical issues. See another Starck gem from the same interview: ‘…the last five or six years have seen a hallucinatory speedy descent into violence and barbarity,” he adds. “There are times when some jobs are justifiable, legitimate, other times when they are not.”

“Given the brutality, the suffering, the mounting deaths, I feel hampered by my means of expression, upset that instead of having a Kalashnikov and a helmet I only have a toothbrush and a pencil.”

Whoa.