MILAN, Italy — We are proud to introduce you to Giuseppe La Spada. An Italian digital artist, one of the most interesting creative designers of the moment. Famous for working with the natural elements exalting through innovative systems and technology, Giuseppe explains his love for water, “Water is a moment of suspension, a suspension between ancestral dualisms, life and death, light and darkness, visible and invisible, in the flow of this eternal movement that is life”.
Giuseppe La Spada: The Artist
Giuseppe La Spada was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1974. In 2003 he graduated with honours in Digital Design at the European Design Institute (IDE) in Rome. During the same year, he was invited to Opera Totale 7 as one of the five best emergent Italian web designers. In 2007, he won the prestigious Webby Award for his supporting role in the project “Stop Rokkasho” by the Academy Award winner, Ryuichi Sakamoto with the acclaimed “Mono no aware”, an entirely ecological website. Two years later, Giuseppe worked with Sakamoto and Fennesz during the tournèe Cendre, which ended with the unforgettable show at Ground Zero in New York City.
As an independent artist Giuseppe dedicates most of his work to videos and installations. One of his most extraordinary installations, “With All Your Senses” designed for Cà Del Bosco features the water element like protagonist Voluptas, a mythological figure floating in the autumn’s waters. Future projects will include the writing of a book or the making of a film to leave a mark on the world.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to meet and interview this talented artist.
Giuseppe La Spada Interview
Describe yourself in 140 characters.
I am a person that is always looking for something new. The Germans use the term “der suchende” to define a person who is never satisfied and goes to the bottom of things.
Where does your passion for the Web come from? How do art and new technologies harmoniously co-exist?
I was lucky to grow up when the first computer models appeared. In addition, the image and the expressive research has always been very important in my family. These two things offered me the opportunity to express my ideas in a different way every time. Today everyone can use a computer. It is just important not to let technology take over on our lives. Through my art, I want to break down the geographic boundaries and compare myself to different realities. Everything comes from research and a blend of various elements. I love to translate communication and raw ideas into 360° creative projects making use of all the different media channels available today.
Natural elements are a central part of your work. Why is that?
I am very sensitive to environmental issues and I think that nature, and especially water, are the perfect dimension to relate to. A sort of contemplative vertical trip to stop the constant state of flux…
How have your Sicilian origins influenced your work?
Sicily is a wonderful land to be born despite its many contradictions and I miss it so much. Through the use of water in my works, I try to revive my home town, so I feel like Sicily misses me a little less.
It seems like Web-related jobs are in great demand. What is your take on this?
There is a lot of curiosity about these new professions. There are a lot of smart people out there as well as many opportunities to follow, and everyone up for the job can show off his/her skills. However it is necessary to make a selection as experience is the real added value.
