You could ask yourself, why posting something about lamps? Are lamps interesting to post about? Lamps in particular could be interesting but we think the ‘brain behind’ the lamp itself is far more interesting. We met with ‘Doris Darling’ a couple of weeks ago in a small bar at the 2nd district in Vienna … and after a small chat we immediately said that we should promote her on our blog, creative as she is …

1. Please try describe yourself in just 5 words
freestyle-perfectionist, curious-ignorant, playful-thinker, steady-spontaneous, seriously-sunny

2. Tell us a bit about „Doris Darling“, what is it all about?
Doris Darling is the name for my new label I just started 2012. It is a name that’s obviously fake and shows there is something going on. I call myself a universal designer, because I mix different disciplines in my work: product & interior styling, costume & performance solutions and textile & wallpaper design and more. I studied at 3 different universities in 3 different countries: Fashion Design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (teacher: Viktor & Rolf, Raf Simons), environmental art in Helsinki/ Finland and Luxury Product Design in Lausanne/Switzerland (teacher: Barber & Osgerby, Ronan Bouroullec…)

Now I am invited to exhibit at the ‘Salone Satellite’ which will take place from 17. – 22. April 2012 in Milano. This is the avantgarde section of the original ‘Salone del Mobile’ especially for young talents to give them the chance to get connected to producers or design studios. On my website you can see at which booth number you can find me.

3. Please give us a short summary of your biography
I grew up in the Austrian country side, after academic high school I studied Fashion Design. My work was something else then fashion: I sculptured dresses out of fabric or made a collection of pieces that were hand painted and could be worn as dresses or be hung up the walls as pictures. That‘s why I was invited to do an exhibition at an Art Gallery with 3 of my fashion collections. After that my work got more productive: I invented characters and designed a small universe around them: clothes, objects and even a song with a music video. With the invented character of the Swan-Lady and her Label ‘Disaster Deluxe’ I was invited to the ‘Design BLOK’ to Prag. The fashion show was more performance and the „Swan Lamps“ and portraits of the Swan Lady were a bit freaky, but the visitors liked it a lot. The excursions into the art world are great, but I wanted to return more to the design world, that‘s why I applied at the ECAL in Lausanne for a Postgraduate in Luxury Product Design. That was a fantastic time because we worked together with different companies from France and Switzerland. Since last autumn I am back in Vienna working on the label and preparing for the ‘Salone Satellite’.

4. How are the products of Doris Darling positioned & sold?
*Doris Darling* is not mainly producing products, I am more a concept studio that is open for partnerships like doing interior design together with architects for bars or hotels or creating costumes for theaters. The „I am Lamp“ lamps are a limited edition of performance lamps inspired by bodybuilder weights. At the ‘Salone Satellite’ the visitors are invited to pose with my lamps in front of my camera. The pictures will be available from the beginning of the 17th April on my webpage. After the exhibition they will be in a different more home-friendly version in some shops in Vienna. And maybe also in Milano?! Who knows… besides that I am working on a luxury souvenir collection for Vienna which will be presented in autumn 2012 during the ‘Vienna Design Week’. My first souvenir products are luxury snow globes made of mouth blown glass and aluminum rocks inside. They will be also shown in Milano and afterwards produced in a cheaper version for different museum shops. My products are toys for adults which evoke the play full side in the people.

5. We like the name of your website but can you tell us how this name came come up?
My Name is Doris Zaiser but concerning my work I am Doris Darling. It makes it easier changing from private life to work mode. It is like Bruce Wayne changing into Batman, or Doctor Jekyll turning into Mr. Hyde or the Baccarat Crystal Animals becoming party animals:

Watch the Baccarat Partyanimals Video I produced at ECAL:

6. What is your personal opinion about blogging? Does it make sense and if yes why?
I think it is great to exchange and share information. For example when travelling to a city it is very useful when people share their own experiences on a blog so we could use it as a guide to find nice bars, shops or interesting events.

7. What are your TOP 5 favorite design products?
I don‘t have a top list of design products. I like so many various new developments I come across in furniture, fashion, food, architecture and art. In the moment I am fascinated by glass works from the last decades of Venini Glass Manufacture and of the Litalla Manufacture in Finland.

8. What could be in your opinion the lamp of the future?
Maybe we can manipulate glowing deep water organisms or we paint the walls with radioactive bacteria and by calling them with different names they change intensity and color?

9. What are the future plans for „Doris Darling“?
The near future plans are to develop my showpieces and the souvenirs. Besides that I am working on a chocolate and candy collection. Further I would like to do many other things: a perfume, a handbag collection and I would also like to play a role in a science fiction movie: Doris Darling VS. Godzilla!?

10. Any comments you would like to share with us?
Thanks to the photographer Bernhard Schramm (www.bernhardschramm.com) for the fantastic pics.
And please check out my website www.dorisdarling.at and the „I am Lamp“ project. If you can‘t come to the Milano to the ‘Salone Satellite’ you could dress yourself up as one of your TOP 5 design classic lamps, take a picture and send it to me and I will post it on my blog too. I would be delighted!