Casa Decor Madrid 2006“ CERAMICSCOULD TELLTHE HISTORYOF THE WORLD”INTERVIEW WITH TERESA SAPEY, DESIGNER OF THE CERAMIC TILE SPACE AT CASADECOR MADRID 06Teresa Sapey demonstrated at the latest Casa Decor Madrid thatceramic tiles are a key element <strong>of</strong> architecture and interior design.She created interior and exterior spaces where, in an innovative,cutting edge conception, the latest trends in design blended with amaterial that <strong>of</strong>fers limitless possibilities. The initiative for the projectcame from ASCER and the Institute for Ceramic Design andApplications (IDAC), who both made it possible, and it was staged in the“100% CERÁMICA” space. Sapey dedicated the display to the memory<strong>of</strong> her father and her talent, training and considerable experiencemeant that the rooms were truly thought provoking. The displayaddressed the issue <strong>of</strong> the prohibition on smoking in public spaces.Do you think that ceramic tiles are a cutting edge material today?No doubt about it. You only need to look at the huge number <strong>of</strong> new buildingsthat use the material in their interiors, in rooms that are not very traditionalsuch as living rooms, master bedrooms and dressing rooms, and on theexteriors too as cladding for the façades.Also, the construction industry is making a serious commitment to ceramictiles that is beginning to be evident, for instance, in the specialist decorating,interior design and construction exhibitions that make a major feature <strong>of</strong>ceramic tiles most years. Awards and other events <strong>of</strong>ten include ceramictiles too, which gives an indication <strong>of</strong> their market penetration and themedia’s interest in them.Why ceramic tiles and not other materials? What advantages doesceramic <strong>of</strong>fer in your opinion?Ceramics could tell the history <strong>of</strong> the world…this is a material that is rich intextures, colours, formats and subtle variations that can be used in all sorts<strong>of</strong> ways…for making furniture, on walls, on ro<strong>of</strong>s, on floors and on façades.It can give the architect a true sense <strong>of</strong> freedom.Casa Decor Madrid 2006Would it be fair to say that you yourself have only discovered ceramicas a material recently?Ceramic has the advantage <strong>of</strong> having a foot in both camps, as it were: it is atonce cutting edge and traditional. It was around all the years <strong>of</strong> my trainingand appeared in subsequent projects too. Not long ago for instance I led aproject to restore a masía (traditional Catalan country house) in Cadaqués.08CERASPAÑA
The starting point was to preserve all the old ceramic, adapting it to the hereand now.restrictions. I personally feel that people should be provided with as muchinformation as possible to enable them to make free choices that reflect theirneeds, wishes and, <strong>of</strong> course, their duties.What have you tried to reflect in your work?I suppose some sectors <strong>of</strong> the industry would dub me an iconoclast. Nowthat I have a few years <strong>of</strong> work under my belt I can say that there is acommon thread that runs through every project I undertake: the search forfreedom…and to be able to express that! Ceramic tiles have provided amedium for that expression.Equally, architecture and interior design can also be a means <strong>of</strong>communication and it is in this sense that we want to claim design as a “toolfor expressing opinions”. What I mean by this is that a space can express anopinion; it can bring an issue out into the open and prompt a democraticdebate. We do not necessarily take a position for or against, we simplyexpose a very current issue and invite people to reflect upon it.How did you feel when ASCER invited you to design the “100%Cerámica” space?I was absolutely thrilled. I could not have felt any other way. I love my work.I am very lucky to receive the support I need to make a project like this cometogether.Could the ASCER/Ceramics space at this last show be defined as aspace that is representative <strong>of</strong> Teresa Sapey? If so, why?Unquestionably yes, you only needed to look at it to know that it was.Tell us about your most recent projects.The most recent was the one at Casa Decor Madrid ’06 using ceramic tiles.I am also very pleased with how well Isolée, a concept store on Calle Infantas(Madrid), is working. We are also working on a project for Mandarina Duckand are still designing homes and <strong>of</strong>fices. As to what is next, I would like tomake garden furniture using ceramic tiles, for example.Why have you brought the issue <strong>of</strong> tobacco into your project?Who is talking about tobacco? I think that the suggestion <strong>of</strong> smoke is veryrepresentative as a symbol… Knowledge could be represented as smokeinhaled and then exhaled filtered. There is currently an interesting debategoing on, a growing controversy even over whether or not to stop smokingthat addresses freedom to choose as a separate issue to prohibitions andCasa Decor Madrid 2006TERESA SAPEYBorn in Cuneo in Italy in 1962 but settled in Madrid, Sapey has a doctorate in Architecture and Fine Arts. Shecombines both disciplines with interior design to perfection, a mix that has created a hugely successful career –developed in <strong>Spain</strong> but with the evident influence <strong>of</strong> the Italian school – and has placed her name at the cuttingedge <strong>of</strong> design. Ceramic tiles are one <strong>of</strong> her constants and by using them she demonstrates that the material hasbeen adopted by the new trends. Since the 1990’s her career has been split between Barcelona and Madrid, inwhich latter city she runs her own architectural practice, the Estudio de Arquitectura Teresa Sapey.Her CV features awards such as the International Competition prize she won for the “portable bar” she designedfor Absolut Vodka and the National Competition prizes she won for her refurbishments <strong>of</strong> the Tandem and Mc Cann-Erikson advertising agencies’ <strong>of</strong>fices in Madrid.She has also designed the Custo shops in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and Milan and the company’s franchises in LasVegas, Beverly Hills, Dallas and Salamanca, as well as objects for Walt Disney and interiors for homes, schools, artgalleries and hotels.CERASPAÑA09