Bára Prášilová: The Robot

(jiří macek) The visual of this year’s Czech Grand Design Award ceremony reveals the change of the moderator – the gala ceremony will be hosted by Marek Eben. However, the visual does not disclose much about the other figure on the poster – the robot. Photographer Bára Prášilová knows much more about him. After all, the entire concept was her idea.

The robot is a symbol of the future in which top technologies, our needs, and the desire for the future of humanity unite. The figure of the robot, designed for the photo shoot by Prášilová herself, is an archetypal robot. He leads us both into the industrial past and future. The Robot has human qualities as well. “He likes himself, is aware of his beauty and perfect design, and enjoys looking at himself in the mirror to admire his design. He is so beautiful that it would be a waste if he had to work,” explains Prášilová. “He is lazy. Even though he was created for work, he hires others to do his work (because he is so indolent). He takes care of himself and worries that he might be damaged or worn out when working. Although he imagines being one of us, he is and always will be different. We will always laugh at him a bit, yet admire him at the same time.”

He is simply a machine with a character, a dreamer and lover of life, about which he has learned thanks to technology and design. Bára Prášilová has endowed him with a story, designed him, and set him free. During the photo shoot, she took pictures of him in moments of utter happiness – when he was riding a horse in Chuchle, sledging, and meeting Marek Eben for the first time. Although the robot did not know him, they immediately took to each other and agreed on other encounters in future.

You will find out what happened next at the gala ceremony of the Czech Grand Design 2009 Awards in Stavovské divadlo (The Estates Theatre) in Prague on the ČT2 channel on March 13 at 8 p.m., as well as at an exhibition entitled Designers of the Year at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, plus in the catalogue published on the occasion of the gala awards ceremony.

For more information, see www.czechgranddesign.cz

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