simone rebaudengo

This article was developed within the program Venture an Idea funded by the USAID.

 

Designer

Country: Italy

 

Simone is an Italian designer living and working in Belgrade for some time now. He is one of the co-founders of oio.studio where he focuses on exploring the implications of living and interacting with networked, smart, and autonomous systems. Sometimes they develop real products, sometimes fictional ones.

We had a chance to meet him and talk about his intriguing work and his favorite places in the city.

 

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK

I like to work in the realm between art and industry, with clients and big companies creating so-called real products while at the same time designing products that are more fictional and speculative that are presented in galleries and museums.  In both of these contexts, I always focus on the near and close future,  using designed products and prototypes to inspire discussions and trigger imagination. So for me, design is all about creating these real/fictional products.

 

WHERE ARE YOUR COLLEAGUES LOCATED?

Our studio is hybrid in so many ways. There are seven of us, and nobody is in the same location  – Matteo, the other co-founder, and Phal are in different parts of London, me in Belgrade, Marta in Lucca, Italy, Octavian in Milan, and Bjorn in Amsterdam. Within the seven, we also count our AI creative director, named Roby. Roby is a non-human, a bot, and it lives on our Discord channels.

 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WORK FROM?

I like mixing, sometimes, I work from home from the sofa, and sometimes I prefer coworking spaces. I used to work from cafes, but I do not do it anymore; I need a space where ‘stuff’ is persistently around me.

That is why I am fully embracing the hybrid model of work.

 

HOW DID YOU END UP IN SERBIA AND BELGRADE?

First time I came to Belgrade was because of the project.  I was collaborating with the local company on the development of the Museum of the Future in Dubai. And then I met my girlfriend and now wife which was the true reason to stay.

It’s a very simple story, but actually, when I think of it now, Belgrade is a very interesting place to be. There is a lot of undiscovered talent here, and a perfect place for me to be, because there are a  lot of people I can collaborate with working in Creative Industries – 3d, animation, gaming, film.  It seems that something that started as a heart decision, now seems as a right decision even from the professional aspect.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES IN BELGRADE?

Since I live in Dorćol, and now I am known as Sima from Simina street, my favorite bakery is Prva pekara.

I like to go for a drink to a Hanky Panky bar, and for lunch I like to go to Iva New Balkan Cuisine.

When I hang out and chill with my friends I like to go by the river to splavs, especially Misisipi river boat. And if i’m on that side of the river and I want a solid sandwich, Lav sandwiches in the New Belgrade blocks, is a hidden must.

My guilty pleasure is to have a Bucko pizza slice, which as an Italian, maybe I shouldn’t say publicly, but it still is a very tasty local street food which I really recommend.

This article was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this article are the responsibility of Nova Iskra and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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