12. Is ornament a crime? What role does colour play in your work?

MSz: At the beginning of the last century, Adolf Loos reacted strongly against ornament. He had his reasons. From early on, I have always been attracted to common tastes that run throughout culture, the need for factual and symbolic forms so wonderfully expressed in folk art, for example. In addition, whether or not ornament and pattern are appreciated for aesthetic reasons, they are primarily admired for the time spent in making them, the time an artisan requires to cover the work with decorations. It could almost be expressed in terms of good manners; ornament and complexity are understood as time spent to honour the onlooker. And I wonder if the modern equivalent of ornament might not be the degree of technological complexity that goes into each of my pieces? Ornament and smoothness are opposite sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. Indeed, each exists because of the other. As for the question about colours, I see them in the same way I perceive coloured hues in a black-and-white film. Colour is a fugitive phenomenon, not just concerning the pleasure it procures but also in terms of its durability. We all seem to need colours. However, they tend to fade and require freshening up. Personally, I enjoy different shades of grey. I’ve seen some very beautiful varieties in China and in Paris too.