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Rapheal Kadid is the Swiss architect and designer author of Daily dose, the daily newsletter about architecture and creativity in general. Shared between an ever-growing community, it constitutes an independent and personal media of expression. Daily dose works as a fluid archive, collecting suggestions, new visions and different points of view for its readers. Raphael is the man behind it.
“I guess I rather say less and leave the interpretations open.”
Your newsletter constitutes a very original way for stimulating dialogue and knowledge within the architectural field: how did all started?
It started four years ago, at the same time as my work at Diener&Diener in Basel. While discussing references for a project in the office, I thought it would be nice to send some colleagues a daily selection of images. At the beginning it went through the office mail, and was delivered to 7 people. From there other persons asked me to put them on the list, and more and more from Basel and abroad.
While architectural magazines always report a dose of personal opinion and critic, your own tool seems to operate more on a discreet point of view, working on a personal selection open to interpretations. Do you feel this subjective/objective dialectic?
I like to think that architecture should speak for itself. By considering which office to publish and then selecting the specific images/projects to be shared, I also feel like giving my opinion, my point of view on the architectural practice. Yes, I guess I rather say less and leave the interpretations open.
How do you approach any new input and which are the topics and areas of interest that help leading your research?
I have various interests in the field of architecture that I could probably try to list, but I don’t think that would be relevant. The Daily dose is a bank of references, depicting the approach of selected offices, or the work of an artist. Looking for a post always begins with a project that interest me, an image that would talk to me. I then look further to see if I can build a coherent series about the author. It is important for me to share a selection of works more than to focus on a particular project.
Despite your interest in design your daily report seems to focus more on architecture and photography: is it a deliberate choice of direction?
Design is very personal to me, very subjective too. The audience of the Daily dose is mostly composed of architects. I thought photography as an alternative to architecture was a more open field of references. I like the idea that people find inspiration looking at these photographs, and take a step back from their daily practice.
Your design pieces reflect a material oriented research and an interest in pure elements: how is your position on design and who did particularly influence you?
I am interested in simple compositions. Since I produce every object by hand, I always start by looking at standard profiles, considering the sizes, weights and properties. Finding specific assemblies for structural – formal purposes are most of the time the beginning of an object. In the case of lamps, it is to produce a certain light, or sometimes only to make the image of a lamp disappear. I try to emphasize the qualities of the materials i am using. The weight of a thick tube of aluminum, the warm reflections of a brass plate. I guess that Italian designers like Castiglioni, Magistretti, Sarfatti are a main influence, but i am also very interested in the work of Dieter Rams or Jean Prouvé.
What should we expect from you in the upcoming years? I don’t know your future plans but seems like Daily dose will survive ‘from now to your death’…
I wonder sometimes about this sentence, that i keep as a header since the very beginning. I never imagined people in Japan, Iran or Mexico would open my mail everyday, Ah!
I have several on-going projects today, but for now there is no reason to stop sending the Daily dose!
