Doingbird 2007
Cate Blanchett + Giorgio Armani
What do you find provocative? Cate
Blanchett: I think the most provocative word
in the English language is 'no'. Giorgio
Armani: The plight of children who are
suffering from poverty and disease. I am
inspired by Bono and Bobby Shriver's (Product)
RED initiative to fight AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis. I am proud to be a partner through
my Emorio Armani collection. Why are the
Italian so good at what they do well - opera,
cars, fashion, food - and not so good at
politics? GA: Well now, I see it in a
slightly different way. I agree that we are good
at opera, car design, fashion and food, and
would point out that these are all things that
contribute to the Italian quality of life. We
are a nation that values our lifestyle highly
and subscribes to the notion of bella figura
- the idea that you put forward our best aspect,
however poor or miserable you might be. Think of
the ritual of the passaggiata, in which people
parade through the town in their finest clothes
to show the world that they are fine indeed.
Now, when it comes to politics, I agree that in
terms of formal political process w suffer from
factions and in-fighting and the like. And yet,
in as much as politics can be seen as the
process of government. I believe that the
Italian people have a wonderful ability to
govern themselves. However bad things get at
parliamentary level, however chaotic and
indecisive our party politics, however poor our
economy becomes, the philosophy of Bella
figura demands that we just get on with it
as best we can. I am convinced that where
Italian party politics visited on other nations
it would precipitate major crisis and economic
catastrophe, as many other nations rely on order
from above. We seem to reply on order from
below. In this sense, I think the Italians are,
in fact, very good at politics. Remember,
Machiavelli was an Italian! Are you
self-conscious? GA: I am shy, but I am not
sure if that is the same as being
self-conscious. I am a private person and keep
myself to myself, but if asked a question I
speak my mind. I am not that concerned about
what people think of me, so maybe I am not that
self-conscious? CB: Yes, it's a very
leading question - a question that provokes self
consciousness! There is a vast difference
between self-consciousness and self-awareness.
Self awareness is vital for any creative person:
to know what the material is and what you can
bring to it - that is, to be conscious on one's
technique. But technique alone cannot enliven a
performance or give clay a form that speaks.
Technique alone tastes of sawdust. It has to be
informed by instinct and being available to what
is around you in that moment 0 those moments of
being simultaneously aware and unaware. Is
the creative process painful? GA: Yes, but
then most things that are worthwhile involve
some degree of difficulty. It is also exciting,
invigorating and often surprising. CB: I
agree. It is, at its best, the most exhilarating
and invigorating life-affirming experience when
it's all flowing, but when it's not one can feel
like a complete fraud. It's a gossamer thing and
what worked last time doesn't always work the
second time. I guess that's part of the
adrenaline rush - finding new ways in, new
approaches to try and tackle what is in front of
you. But, hey, it's a pleasurable pain and I
couldn't wish for a better job. Is diplomacy
or talent more important to success? GA:
Well, as I said earlier, Machiavelli was an
Italian. Seriously, I believe that everything
starts with talent. As a designer, I don't think
it is possible to become successful just through
diplomatic skills, as in the end you must
produce work that will be judged by the press
and the consumer. Having said that, there have
been fashion designers who have had talent but
have lacked the diplomatic touch, and maybe this
has led some of them to not achieve what they
might have done. The fashion industry, like all
industries, has its own rules and is a type of
game. Those whop lay the game well tend to do
better than those who don't - they get better
breaks, reviews and publicity, they form good
relationships with the media, the financiers and
sponsors and, most importantly, with the public.
In some areas other than fashion - which is,
after all, my sphere of knowledge - I get the
impression that diplomacy can take you a long
way. You see, those who have a talent for
diplomacy, and for little else, are perfectly
suited to corporate culture, where your actual
ability may never be quantifiable and only your
ability to "get on" is what counts. CB:
Talent is the only thing that endures and part
of talent is what one makes of one's
opportunities - how one handles the , what one
shapes them into. I think a large portion of
talent is curiosity and, let's face it,
humility; the ability to say "I have no clue; I
don't have the answers," and the courage and
perseverance to find out. But it depends on what
you characterize as success. I, for one, don't
think the sole measure of artistic success is
people pleasing. Often one's creative role is to
provoke, to be impolite and apolitical. However
on a personal level, I like a sprinkling of
diplomacy. I don't take a bill-in-a-china-shop
approach to life. Call me old-fashioned but I
value good manners. Doesn't that make me a
diplomat? How do you view your work in
relation to society? GA: My work makes me
happy, and that is why I do it, that is what my
motivation has always been. I am told that my
development of deconstructed tailoring brought
about something of a revolution in dress,
bringing comfort to smart clothing and that, in
particular, I equipped professional women with a
wardrobe that could compete on equal terms with
those of their male colleagues for the first
time. If this is true then I am glad, but as far
as I was concerned, I was just trying to design
great clothes that would make people look and
feel good. CB: Mr Armani has been utterly
revolutionary in the way we perceive the line of
our clothed selves. From the time I could the
"fashion" and "style" he has been inextricably
linked with the concepts and it is a rare feat
in today's world to be simultaneously
contemporary and classic. And to be constantly
evolving. GA: There is no social
programme at Armani and I am fully aware that in
the scheme of world affairs fashion can seem
ephemeral. But if I can bring people pleasure by
making them look great and feel confident and
good about themselves, then I am happy. The
great exception to this philosophy is, of
course, (Product) RED, which is a brilliant
idea. Now I can design dedicated (Product) RED
items and give a percentage of the revenue from
sales to the fight against AIDS, and thus
actually help make a real difference to people's
lives. (Product) RED is a great concept as it
means that people like myself can do what we do
well, and turn our talents into revenue for
charity. If (Product) RED becomes, as I hope it
will, a huge global business, then we could
really see fashion design do some good. CB:
I remember Nick Enright instilling in my class
at drama school the importance of having a
generous nature in the acting profession; that
theatre is about communicating and illuminating
what it means to be human. It is always
ultimately for an audience and it's vital to
respect them and their intelligence. One can be
bogged down in the pettiness of this profession
sometimes, so his words - and the man himself -
are a pick-me-up. And theatre does have a vital
function in society. It is a reflection. But in
terms of what one's so called 'celebrity' can
feed back into society... Well, as I tell my son
when he dons his Spiderman suit, "Sweetheart,
use your powers for good not evil!"
Bono and Bobby Shriver set up DATA (Debt,
AIDS, Trade Africa) in 2002, which leveraged
public-sector investment into the Global Fund to
fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. More
recently, they established (Product) RED to
engage big business in the fight against AIDS.
So far RED credit cards, phones, shoes and
fashion have been made available, and the
companies that produce them are committed to
donating a certain percentage of their profits
to the Global Fund. For more information,
joinred.com Cate
Blanchett is the Brand ambassador and face of
SK-II |
