There was a bunch of amazing people on stage for my first International Design Forum session Monday afternoon:

Michael Rotondi of Roto Architects (and one of the founders of Morphosis), Carlo Ratti, a 30-something Italian architect (with pretty amazing work) and also Director of SENSEable City Laboratory at MIT, Michael Young, a Hong Kong based product designers (could not find a web site for him), Dan Dubno a producer and technologist, formerly of CBS news and currently founder of a company called Blowing Things Up (he also moderated the session).

We were, collectively, supposed to answer the impossible question: where do creative ideas come from: Bed, Bathroom or Bus (metaphorically speaking)?

But our collective thunder was stolen by Oliviero Toscani, the big boss on the stage! If you don’t know Toscani, just think back to the provocative ads of Bentton in the 90’s and you’ll know who I am talking about. Also think: Colors magazine.

Toscani is an uncompromising provocateur and a large mouth. His answer to the question was: creativity is insecurity. It is reaching within yourself to your deepest desires/insecurities/fears and somehow bringing them out to light. He did not spare the hotel environment we where in: “This is the most anti-design place I have ever seen”.

Needless to say: the audience loved him. And the other panelist got to speak a little too. I personally enjoyed being on that stage and listen to Toscani’s rant.

On the first day of the IDF he had this to say:

“Creativity must always be subversive. It must be contrary to the establishment; it must try to do something that has not been done before. It requires a state of non-control and limitless courage.

“I come to Dubai and I see the same imagery I saw in the United States. What happened? I see junk everywhere.”

Read more on the IDF blog..