When I started this blog four years ago, I had a
mission statement, believe it or not, which was simply to write about what I
found aesthetically pleasing. It was always more about the imagery than the
words as the visuals are inherently the inspiration for what we do as designers
everyday. I am forever grateful for all the extraordinary people in my orbit
and constantly inspired by the amazingly talented people in our field.
Jeff Dungan is one of those truly bright
lights-the creative genius and co-founder of Dungan-Nequette
Architects. Jeff is a fresh southern voice in the world of
architecture. He is a true renaissance man- multi-faceted, humble, spiritual,
fearless and eloquent- soft-spoken, yet his words resonate with a power
that elicits the same visceral response his work evokes. As I said
before, this blog is not about the words, particularly mine in this
instance, but I would encourage you to take the time to read his-a warrior poet
in a true Southern vernacular - meet Jeff Dungan...
What was the best advice you ever received?
My dad told me-son, no matter how much money you
make, you can always spend MORE…and I lived to prove him RIGHT about that.
My mom said-son, you are great at starting things, but not very good at
finishing them. I actually worked on that one some, but my nature is
still to hit 10 nails one time, instead of one nail ten times…
Who was your mentor?
Well, I have learned from a lot of people.
My grandfather was a huge influence on me as a youngster: he taught me to
work, that man was a worker and not much talking allowed. He was born in
1899- I loved him to death, he taught me how to deal with animals and
sling blades, but mostly I am pretty sure he just tolerated me. For which I was
very grateful. He told me things I know I have inside me but don't
remember being told. My dad taught me to get along with everyone and my
mom taught me that education was each person's own first job. She also
encouraged me in the arts and in no way am I an architect without her urging.
My mother "urges" in a similar fashion to locomotives and large
yellow machinery…
Where does your creative inspiration come
from?
It can be quite a few different things, surely
art does-or wait a second-SOME kinds of art and I won't even go into the crap
that is so not art, but that would be another question.. Travel would be
high on my list of inspirational fodder. Impossible to quantify its
importance really but Europe is full of great old buildings, towns and cities,
however, so many great places are right here in America, even in the south.
Basically anything can send me on a tangent.
Of the all arts, music is supreme for daily
creative inspiration. I rarely draw without music. It can transport
me and move me and is like soul cleaner…(ok I made that up). Music is
like, as I once heard the definition of having tears as "words that
couldn't get said any other way." Man I wish I had made that up. Some of my recent faves are Water Liars, Beck (Morning Phase), Avett Borthers, and my talented friend Duquette Johnston.
Travel, Music, Art- people also! People
can be very inspirational- but as inspiration, not as trustworthy and
dependable- or as easy to turn on and off as my iPod….
What do you want your legacy to
be?
Well, I think first of all, people make up their own minds about
you, so I don't worry about things like legacy too much. What I hope to
leave behind when I am nourishing sunflowers is a body of work or oeuvre that
is beautiful and cherished by its owners and people who live/work/share meals
inside these shelters. What I want most of all is to have effected the
lives of people in a way that literally made their life better.
That’s a tall order, but I believe in my heart that design has that kind
of power…
No matter where you are or who you are- you are inside a structure
(ok, you could be standing in a field of sunflowers) but most likely you spend
most of your life INSIDE something that some other human being designed.
I want the people I work with and for, and people I may never meet, to know a
man cared deeply about how they would experience life inside that thing.
It can be inspiring. It is inspiring to me to try every day to
create such places. Its really about the experience you have there.
What do you see? How does the light come in? What materials are
used and how does it make you feel…I want the legacy to be in the amazing lives
people had there. I want the work we create to be "a gift to
the street".
Are you satisfied with your life?
That makes me laugh, I don't know why. I think its because most
days I pinch myself that I have the life I do. Of course, I still
complain sometimes-but I am probably more surprised at how my life turned out
than anyone. I get to do a job that is so much fun, it usually doesn't
feel like work. It feels like making art when you are young. I get
to work with great people of talent and ability and artisans who can sew beams
together like thread, blacksmiths, metal workers and plasterers and the list
goes on. It's inspiring the people I work with in studio every day, sharing
ideas on our work, collaborating together. Someone has a problem, they
are stuck, you help get it back on track, not because you are a genius, but
because you have a fresh set of eyes or another idea on how it could work.
And vice versa-we all have limitations, but together we make a team that
is quite powerful. That is exciting because I love people. My
understanding of the extrovert is that the extrovert gets their energy from
being around people. Many days I feel like a 100 watt bulb in a 200 watt
socket…
