Short description of Nina Levett + Studio ++
Nina Levett is a provocative, Vienna-based designer, who creates bold ornaments and patterns that are applied to a variety of surfaces from cutlery, glassware and tableware to textiles, moveable wallpapers and porcelain. Her studio produces ornamental everyday objects with distinctive decoration that expresses Nina Levett’s uncompromising observations on society and human relationships. Nina Levett’s high-end designs have appeared at the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, the Alessi Museum and in art galleries and fairs in Europe, Asia and the USA.
“I have been concentrating on ornaments for tableware, wallpapers and textiles following the tradition of the Wiener Werkstätte at the beginning of the last century but integrating ideas derived from the internet into my work,” says Levett. “It’s best summarised with three to five P’s: POP, PUNK and PORN – and maybe PROTEST but that sounds so harsh – so maybe PAIN would be better”.
Short curriculum
Nina Levett was born in Vienna, Austria in 1973.
Vienna International School 1980-1992.
Vienna University of Economics and Business 1992-1997 (Business Administration with special focus on Management/Strategic Leadership and Advertising).
Vienna University of Technology 1993-1995 (2-year-degree in Real Estate Management).
University of Applied Arts Vienna 1993-1997 (Architecture).
Nina Levett moved to Italy in 1998 and set up a design company producing packaging for software.
She lived and worked in Italy from 1998-2004.
She then moved back to Vienna, Austria in 2004 to set up her design studio specializing in ornaments and patterns.
10 Things about Nina Levett
1// Nina Levett is an invented persona. Her nails are fake, her hair is not real. She does not exist.
2// It took her many years, one personal trainer and a few beauty docs to become as beautiful as she is now.
3// At school she was an achiever.
4// She does not believe in life after death and therefore often works long hours.
5// Nina Levett believes in following the flow. She works when ideas come to her. Much of what she does is spontaneous and unplanned. Watch the video of Amy Tan talking about creativity here.
6// She is fascinated by pop culture (Madonna,…).
7// Some of her inspiration comes from the city of Vienna and in particular the Wiener Werkstätte.
8// Her favourite film is by Abel Ferrara: “Bad Lieutenant”
9// Nina Levett eats no sugar and drinks no alcohol. She works out regularly.
10// Some of her spiritual inspiration comes from Ajahn Brahm, Theravada Buddhism and Sigmund Freud.