Silvan Borer finds it difficult to distinguish between work and leisure – because as a designer, one blurs with the other on a daily basis. In this interview, he reveals how the Swiss made it to where he is today and how little he lets AI and bad days get in his way.
FACES: Why did you become an illustrator and designer and how did you get there?
Silvan Borer: After, or rather during, my school years, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. As a result, I completed an apprenticeship as a landscape gardener after my compulsory schooling – but I didn’t really feel comfortable with it. I then took a detour to study scientific illustration and set up my own business straight after graduating. I remembered that I loved drawing as a child and was convinced that it was the result of a genuine interest at the time. This ultimately led to my decision to devote myself entirely to drawing and design.
F: How do you define art?
Silvan Borer: In my opinion, art cannot be defined – it is everything and yet nothing. It can – but does not have to.
Q: How do you measure the value of works of art?
Silvan Borer: Quite pragmatically – at the final price paid for the work.
AI art and a look into the future
F: What do you think about AI art, and do you feel it threatens you and your craft?
Silvan Borer: Things just evolve. I see the now very easy access to artificial intelligence as an opportunity to rethink my creativity and the associated craft. As is so often the case, developments are initially seen as threatening – for me, artificial intelligence is first and foremost a technology, and it’s up to me what I make of it.
F: Is art only what the human hand can create?
Silvan Borer: No. But people tend to search for the definition of art.
F: Which technological achievement would you not want to do without in your day-to-day work and which one scares you?
Silvan Borer: I owe a lot to the Internet. Fortunately, I have understood very well how I can use it for myself. I am not anxious. If something seems suspicious to me, it makes me curious.
The dear muse…
F: How do you manage to be creative every day, and what do you do when the muse doesn’t kiss you?
Silvan Borer: When I don’t have the time, I go for a walk or do sport.
F: Which of your achievements makes you most proud?
Silvan Borer: That I have found my own way and don’t let rejection put me off my ideas.
F: Which company or brand would you like to work for one day and why?
Silvan Borer: There are a few. At the moment, I’m very attracted to the fashion and design world. I would like to design and curate everything around me.
F: Do you remember the moment you saw one of your works published for the first time?
Silvan Borer: To be honest, I can’t really remember. It all happened super quickly too. In general, however, it is motivating to see that my work, concepts and ideas are justified and leave their mark.
Drawing and creating as a profession
F: Do you have rules you follow when drawing and designing?
Silvan Borer: Designing is the most important part for me. I try to generate ideas first and then give them a form. Without rules.
F: Drawing and creating is your profession. Are you tired of it in your free time and prefer to do other things?
Silvan Borer: It’s a privilege: my job is my free time. So, if you like, there is no such thing as both for me. So I’m not tired of it – on the contrary. I love creating things, and my job involves so much more than design. I get to gain many exciting insights, make moving acquaintances and devote myself entirely to my ideas – sometimes I don’t want to be too busy with other things.
F: What’s all over your workspace, and is it tidy or a creative mess?
Silvan Borer: My workplace is tidy – I like it that way. I don’t feel comfortable with too much clutter. Since I work digitally and analog, I have two workstations. One has my laptop and a graphics tablet, the other has pens and paints, but nothing else.
Creative chaos
F: In what ways do you fulfill the stereotype of the creative slob?
Silvan Borer: Perhaps to the extent that I work according to my own rules and logic and don’t care much about conventions.
F: Which motif is easiest for you, and what do you struggle with?
Silvan Borer: I like to depict beautiful (organic) things. Caricatures are not really my thing.
F: What is your favorite art museum?
Silvan Borer: There are several. A friend recently showed me the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan – I was very moved by the exhibits by Anselm Kiefer and Dino Seshee Bopape. The exhibitions at Zurich’s Rietberg Museum are excitingly curated and there is always so much to discover. A visit there is always a journey into another world and very inspiring. The Fondation Beyeler and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo are both very complex and interesting.
F: If you had the money, what piece of art would hang on your wall or be in your living room?
Silvan Borer: I don’t hang anything on my walls. There are just a lot of books and magazines here. But I think Henry Timi’s designs are very beautiful.
So many talents
F: Apart from designing and drawing, what other talents lie dormant in you?
Silvan Borer: One of my strengths is certainly that I understand connections and have a feeling for aesthetics. Coupled with a little courage and curiosity, this has sometimes led to my work becoming more and more conceptual and multi-layered. I now develop concepts, write, design and create things and spaces, produce music, work in fashion design, collaborate with creative people from a wide range of fields and love architecture.
F: Do you feel sufficiently supported and taken seriously as a creative in Switzerland?
Silvan Borer: Sometimes more, sometimes less – it’s all totally abstract.
F: What makes a good day for you?
Silvan Borer: Every day is a good day for me – and if it’s not, I change it so that a bad day becomes a good day.
Visit Silvan Borer on his website and immerse yourself in the designer’s universe.
You can find even more interviews with creative people from fashion, living, beauty and the world of beauty here.
Teaser photo: © ko photography
