Luminaries of our times: Fumihiko Maki, Lim Tze Peng, Tricia Guild, Patrick Hughes...

They are the masters of their craft, their work particularly valuable. Their creativity brings ideas to life. STIR speaks with some of the greatest icons of our times from the world of art, architecture, and design. All above the age of 70, they have pushed boundaries and their achievements are as remarkable as their journeys. 

With careers spanning several decades, they have experienced sweeping changes in technology, communication and styles of living and working, and have embraced these with great aplomb.

Click to read these interviews that provide an in-depth insight into their amazing journeys, their working styles, their philosophies…

1. Fumihiko Maki, Japan

Recipient of the 1993 Pritzker Prize, the nonagenarian architect continues to conceptualise and actively engage in humanitarian design across the globe. Known for seamlessly blending Eastern and Western cultures, he has designed Tower 4 of the World Trade Centre in New York.

“My philosophy hasn’t changed (over the years). I have always focused on decency as a basic ethical principle, giving consideration to all users.”

2. Lim Tze Peng, Singapore

At 99 he is still a prolific painter. Pioneer of the art scene in Singapore, Lim Peng is known for his “hu tu zi” style – an abstract form of calligraphy, blending character and subject, painting and calligraphy.

“To be a good artist you first need to be a good man. It is equally important to remember your roots and be well read. Know the world around you in order to create your art.”

3. Tricia Guild, UK

Known for transforming spaces with the use of colours, patterns and textures, she is one of UK’s best-known textile designers. Tricia launched Designers Guild in 1970 to offer beautiful contemporary home products of quality, which today are distributed in over 80 markets worldwide.

“Inspiration is everywhere. One simply has to be open to interpreting it.  New designers need determination, resilience, motivation creativity, and a focus on quality. Sustainability is another huge issue.”

4. Patrick Hughes, UK

Inventor of an optical illusion reverspective or reverse perspective, his 3D sculptured paintings are surreal experience. Patrick’s geometrically constructed artworks are perplexing paradoxes, that enthrall visually and intellectually.

“it is my personal belief that emerging artists must not think of themselves, as they do, or of their audience, as they do, or of their audience, as they do, but of the disciplines of visual rhetoric and composition in its widest sense in order to reach a wider audience.”

5. Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan

A recipient of the Jane Drew Prize 2020, she is the first woman architect from Pakistan and has designed several iconic structures. However, Yasmeen gave up commercial practice in 2000 to pursue heritage conservation and protect some of the Pakistan's historic treasures.

"Unless as architects we help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially in conventional concrete and steel construction, which consumes between 40-50 per cent of energy worldwide, we would continue to inflict untold damage to the planet."

Catch more in the ongoing series with many more names coming up soon!