Charismatic superstar of international design, inveterate playboy, cutting and unconventional intellectual, Peter Saville is the much-awaited guest this evening at Fabrica, the Benetton conceptual workshop near Treviso.

“I am sure we will find something to talk about”, is the ironic title of his conference, during which Saville will illustrate (and discuss with those present) his most important works: from the record sleeves for Joy Division, New Order, Suede and Pulp (Saville was art director and co-founder of the legendary Factory Records label) to his work with the leading fashion houses (Jil Sander, Yohji Yamamoto and Christian Dior) and that done for museums and cultural institutions (Centre Georges Pompidou, Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Design Museum).

Despite the long list of top-level collaborations – from Tony Wilson, manager of Factory Records, to the architect Ben Kelly, the British photographers Trevor Key and Nick Knight and Pentagram, of which he was a part – Saville has always remained independent. Perhaps because he is still seeking the ideal “client”: “You have to have the ear and the confidence of the person making the decisions in a company in order to really get anywhere”, he said some time ago in an interview with the British monthly Eye, confessing slight envy for the special relationship that bound Oliviero Toscani to Benetton (“Somewhere in the world I might find my Luciano Benetton”, he confided). Two years have passed, Benetton has ended its association with Toscani and Saville is coming to Fabrica for a conference: will he remember his “quip”?

21.11.2003, h. 18
Peter Saville. I’m sure we’ll find something to talk about
Fabrica
Via Ferrarezza, Catena di Villorba (Treviso)
https://www.fabrica.it

Related articles:
Reputations: Peter Saville (from Domus 859, May 2003)