Hlavní stránka Info portálu ZČU

At the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, the halls buzz from morning to evening. You might think that in such a lively maze of studios there’s no room to clear your head and let your imagination run free. The opposite is true. The mix of colours, scents and constant chatter is exactly what sparks curiosity in industrial designer Jan Korabečný (JK) and his former student Václav Svítil (VS), who found his own voice and path thanks to him.

Your paths crossed at Sutnarka, one of you as a teacher, the other as a student. When did you realise that what connected you went beyond classes and turned into a genuine creative partnership?

JK: It happened when we found we shared the same sense of humour and the same approach to making things. Václav caught my attention with his courage to start projects whose ending no one can predict, often difficult, complicated ones.
VS: We also discovered we saw design and aesthetics in a similar way. By the end of my studies our collaboration became a true creative partnership. I no longer saw him as a professor, we built a friendship.

If you were to describe Sutnarka as a place charged with creative energy, how would it smell, what would it sound like, what colour would it have?

JK: Sutnarka is different every day, depending on what’s going on. Sometimes it smells of wood, another day of clay, paint or metal. It’s a blend of scents, colours and moods that create a vibrant environment. Right now we’re sitting in the modelling studio, where we often work with clay. It has a sharp scent of sulphur and earth. A smell of work I recognise the moment I walk in.
VS: I spent most of my time in the industrial design modelling workshop. We used clay heated up for shaping. Yes, that sulphur smell is unmistakably chemical. If I had to describe the school by sound, it would be a steady creative hum: machines running, music from a studio, people talking. Its colour would be silver, metallic, the favourite shade for prototype models.

Design keeps evolving. How has your view of visual creation changed since your early days? And what has stayed the same?

VS: The biggest shift is in tools. Technology moves fast. When I began, it was all about hands-on work and physical models. Now digital tools take up a large part of the process. But the basics of good design stay the same: function, simplicity and the right materials.
JK: Styles and trends change, but the principles don’t. It’s still about thinking, trying things out, and linking ideas with visual meaning. Design is always a search for balance between concept, function and beauty.

What inspires you most when working with young creators? And Václav, what did you take from your teacher’s approach into your own work?

JK: Their energy and ideas. Sometimes there’s a bit of naivety, but that often leads to something original. Students explore paths I might no longer choose, and they show those paths can be inspiring. That keeps me moving.
VS: From Honza I learned a sense for proportion, composition and how light and shadow behave. And he taught me how to gather, sort and use information, how to research, seek inspiration and connect different fields.

How do you recognise that a young creator has truly found their voice? And do you remember the moment it happened with Václav?

VS: It comes gradually. The more I understood, the more I enjoyed it. I think a personal style shows up when someone is honest with themselves, keeps experimenting and discovers what genuinely excites them.
JK: It’s clear when a student stops creating only for themselves and starts thinking about the person on the other side — the viewer or the client. That’s when design becomes a dialogue. Václav reached that point early. It was a joy to work with him.

Is it important for Sutnarka that its graduates stay connected to the place where they studied?

VS: Pilsen is a great city with a great vibe. The university campus shaped me a lot. You meet people from every field there. Local companies also gave us many chances to collaborate.
JK: Most of our graduates like this place and link it to an important part of their lives. I’m glad when they come back. It’s valuable for them and for the school. They remember where they began and what they learned, and sometimes they push it a step further.

Art often stands on dialogue between generations and between approaches. What do your conversations with graduates look like now, when you’re no longer teacher and student but colleagues?

JK: I like talking with them about what’s happening in the field outside school. I’m curious about the projects they take on and the trends they follow. Often we talk informally — even over a beer — and plenty of ideas are born there.
VS: Exactly. Today our talks look different. They’re no longer consultations but real dialogues where we exchange what we’ve learned at work and in life.

If you were to pass a symbolic baton to the next generation of creators, what would it hold? What values would you leave them?

JK: I’d tell them not to be afraid, to trust themselves, to have confidence. And above all, to work with integrity.
VS: I believe creators should use technology with respect and purpose, not just for show. And they should stick to the basics of good design — form follows function. There’s beauty in simplicity.