Welcome to a conversation with a true pioneer in elevating the best design in the world. Piers Roberts offers profound reflections on the distance we've fallen from conscious consumerism and where to go from here with a strong emphasis on uplifting neurodivergent ways of thinking.
For over 20 years, Piers has played a significant role in contributing to East London’s success as an inspirational beacon of creativity and innovation. He launched Designersblock in September 1998 at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, 5 years ahead of the London Design Festival. He went on to develop and produce major Creative Festivals in London, Milan and Tokyo covering design, architecture and illustration. Over 19 years the pioneering and much imitated event showcased over 4000 creatives from 38 countries in 65 events across ten countries.
Piers has written, curated and produced critically acclaimed conferences in Creativity and Entrepreneurship for Southbank Centre, the Oxo Tower and Europe House.
This interview is one of the nearest and dearest to my heart so far in my time hosting this beautiful podcast. It's a true gem and I'm immensely honored to be able to share it.
Here's what you'll hear (and more:)
- How DesignersBlock ignited a new wave of UK design by repurposing empty buildings for creative shows
- Why neurodivergence is often a hidden driver of visionary creativity—and how it’s misunderstood in traditional systems
- The origin of the term "creative entrepreneur" and how it emerged from economic scarcity and DIY culture
- What it was like to be on the outside of the mainstream design world looking out, not trying to fit in.
- How pioneers often get dismissed in their time, even as their ideas are widely adopted later.
- The emotional toll of being a creative who is early, original—and overlooked
- How burnout, wintering, and wellbeing are essential chapters in a creative life
- The dangers of reducing creativity to metrics, and the value of nonlinear thinking in solving complex global problems.
- and a lot, lot more
References:
Ron Arad, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Ross Lovegrove, Simon Pengelly, Jan Van Der Lande, Hella Jongerius, Richard Hutten, Ineke Hans, Casper Vissers (Moooi), Sheridan Coakley (SCP), Konstantin Grcic, Matthew Hilton, Andrew Purves, Terrance Conran, William Morris, Judy Singer, Catherine May, Joanne Limburg, Martin Evans, and more.
Written, directed, and executive produced by Chauncey Zalkin. Intro/Outro sound engineered by Eric Aaron. Photography by Alonza Mitchell with Design Consulting by Paper + Screen.
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Actual People, a Podcast
www.chaunceyzalkin.com
