PeterSavilleOfficial

I have a favorite sandwich bar in central London, run by a man I now refer to as my friend, Jimmy. A couple of years ago he asked if I could help with a new paper bag… what could I say? I had to engage one or two associates to help me on that one. They were amused too. Obviously there wasn’t a budget, but I think I got a free espresso that day.

The most difficult is always one’s own. In fact I had a business card debate with a gallery director the other evening when we exchanged cards.
Regarding the rest of the world, I’m trying to not look and care too much anymore. The state of the visual environment used to really unsettle and disappoint me, but after 40 years of trying to help to make things better, I realized it’s something of a losing task.
It always seems to be one-step forward, one-step back, and I’m very happy now for the next generation to take up the challenge.

It’s difficult to nominate favorites because they change with time and I forget anyway, but the most influential cover in the context of my own work was the UK edition of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, which was released in 1979. The use of a simple line-image on a monochrome background was my introduction to semiotics.
For me, Kraftwerk’s music – and particularly the title track “Autobahn” – encompassed the European canon of music, culture, history, and place. It made me realize the potential that an image or icon could release in one’s imagination.
My choice of the USE HEARING PROTECTION symbol for the first Factory poster was inspired by the Kraftwerk cover.

We’ve all tried.

I listen to very different music now, i.e. other than contemporary pop, and I think that’s normal and healthy. There’s a thousand years of music to learn about. How could one possibly stay on auto-repeat? We seek the atmosphere around us that suits our time and place.