As well as ping pong, Arad is a keen follower of Snatch, the word game played with tablet-like lettered squares. “I introduced Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, to it and we’ve developed our own four-letter rule instead of the usual three,” he says with a hint of pride.

Arad’s work ranges from one-off sculptural pieces for art galleries and museums to manufactured ranges for the likes of Vitra, Moroso, Driade, iGuzzini, Kartell and Alessi. His architectural work is to be seen as far afield as Tokyo, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Marrakesh.

Although he is known for his futuristic designs, his past plays its part in his creative side as well. He picks up a smoothly polished wooden cat and explains its relevance. “This cat was made by my father in the year I was born. My father is a sculptor and now, at the age of 91, he is completely taken by computers, on which he creates images with photography and Photoshop. Last time I saw him at home, I asked if I could have this cat and he gave it to me. I was thrilled to bits, and if you look at it I think you can see the relationship between our works in the smooth, curvaceous lines.”

From a shelf he lifts down a rather dusty pink object which he carefully places on the table. “This rabbit was made by my younger daughter, Dara, when she was six. She’s now 15, but when she made this she had no inhibitions about creating spontaneous artwork. Sadly, for the moment homework has taken over and she doesn’t have time for this sort of creation. I like its freedom.

“The travel guitar is something we take on family holidays, but I lost the job to my older daughter Lail, who is a singer-songwriter. My guitar playing isn’t good enough any more, so although it is officially mine I have lost it. I like it as a piece of design both visually and functionally.”

But Arad is keen to keep up with the pace and his favourite tool of the moment is a Wacom monitor, a computer screen with a light pen that enables him to colour and draw with the same freedom that one would have with paper and ink. “I’m surrounded by whiz-kids, people brought up with computer technology, and the Wacom and light pen are my way of joining the Gameboy/Nintendo generation while sticking to what I am best at, which is drawing,” he says.

And as the stylus pen touches the screen it is back to work, finalising designs for Timothy Taylor’s stand at the Frieze Art Fair, which opens next week, the floor plan for his major exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in November, and his solo show at the Timothy Taylor Gallery in spring and the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the summer. Ron Arad clearly enjoys his work – it is all part of his global game plan.

www.ronarad.com; www.timothytaylorgallery.com

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