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In 2015, Jiří Suchánek led the team that prepared the programme of Plzeň as the European Capital of Culture (ECOC). Already then, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň (Sutnarka) was among the important partners of the project, and the cooperation continues today - now, as the creative director of the BLIK BLIK light festival, Suchánek has included several installations created by students, teachers and graduates of Sutnarka in the programme.

This year Pilsen celebrates 10 years since it was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture. Has the cultural climate in Pilsen changed in that time? Mr Suchánek, do you still enjoy working with students and teachers from Sutnarka? What projects are you preparing with them for this year's ECOC celebrations?

During the preparation period for 2015 I was more in charge of the administrative and practical functioning of the project, so now as a freelancer I enjoy more creative activities. At a time when I feel I still have a lot of strength, I have embarked on a career as a creative producer and agent with the aim of exporting the creative industry beyond the region and the country. I'm knocking on the table that this silly goal is coming to fruition quite nicely, and Sutnarka and the people around her play a key role in that. A lot of colleagues from the creative industries have scattered outside Pilsen after 2015, which is a shame. On the other hand, 10 years ago it wasn't entirely realistic to prepare a giant video mapping show for the cathedral with Sutnarka graduates, travel to curated festivals in Europe and tackle other projects outside of academia. So we can say that we have made a leap mainly on the qualitative level.

Is the cooperation with the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art anything specific?

It's like everywhere else. The university has its own life cycle, which limits project activities to a certain extent, and we have to take that into account. This year I am really enjoying working with the students of the Industrial Design Studio, who, under the guidance of Honza Korabečný, Štěpán Soutner and Ivo Opel, are preparing from the first design through production to the installation of a full-scale stage for the BLIK BLIK light festival (21-22 March). The DEPA 2015 courtyard will thus feature their light bar, swinging light pigs and an interactive light game element. It's a challenging process, but meaningful on both sides.

This year's BLIK BLIK festival will present, among other things, the performance Square³, visually prepared by Lukáš Kellner, head of Multilab studio in Sutnarka. During the festival³, the Ladislav Sutnar Gallery will also host the exhibition Spider's Web from the Environmental Design for Architecture studio. What do you enjoy about these projects and what do you think they bring to BLIK BLIK visitors?

Performance Square³ will take place a total of eight times over the two nights of the festival. The big advantage is that it is not a premiere and has the birth pangs worked out. I am very much looking forward to it and believe all performances will sell out. Visitors can see the performance, choreographed by Thalia Award winner Richard Ševčík, in the bus hall at DEPO2015. Working with students plays an important role in the festival. An example is the project School of Video Mapping, led by Italian lecturer and professional Luca Pulvirenti from the University of Palermo. This year is the third year of the project and Sutnarka students are always the most prepared. Some of the graduates are already involved in this discipline at a professional level. This year we are also involving high schools. This is also where BLIK BLIK is different from most light festivals that play it more safe. Working with youth and educators is important in this regard and we will definitely develop it in the future.

In addition to the Pilsen projects, this January you travelled to London, where together with Benedikt Tolar, head of the Sculpture and Space studio at Sutnarka, you presented his sculptures at the Czech Centre and installations at the Winter Lights festival. Are you planning other international projects in collaboration with Sutnarka?

I currently represent seven artists from the Czech Republic, Japan and Spain, and I am very happy that Benedikt has managed to break through the borders with his giant sculpture Aj Vana Be ... I have been with this project since the first experiments with reviving the sculpture by using programmable lights in disused bathtubs. We composed the music, programmed it, designed the system to be reliable. The sculpture is currently in Copenhagen (until the end of February) and is going to Zagreb in March. Sweden, UK and hopefully other places are in the pipeline for the fall. I'm also really enjoying working on video mapping projects with Metanoia Creative, a studio whose core is made up of Sutnarka graduates Julie Tampierová and Jakub Nosek.

What other projects involving Sutnarka students/graduates/teachers can we look forward to this year, either in Pilsen or elsewhere?

The aforementioned Metanoia Creative is currently working with my supervision on a video mapping for the big show that will take place on the Republic Square on 8 March. It combines projections, light design and giant puppets. It's actually a big theatre that we will rotate three times in one evening as part of the celebration of the 730th anniversary of the city of Pilsen and 10 years of the ECC. Together with the studio, we have also prepared a light installation called The Fifth Element, which consists of a six-metre projection sphere with the theme of the elements of the earth. So far, we have presented it at the Vary September festival, and it will be presented at BLIK BLIK and Aveiro in Portugal this autumn. I believe that similar collaborations with Sutnarka students and graduates will increase. But I tell everyone the same thing. The best and the successful have something in common. Like me, they are not afraid to get dirty and put ideas into action in the shop or in the field.