As we are industrial designers we don’t have the same approach to installations as artists. Our approach to things is still very close to the design process; our methodology stays the same and differs from the one used by artists. The approach of a designer is to give answers and find solutions whereas an artist asks questions. For example, our installations always offer the possibility to go inside and experiment the architecture, it’s like a prolongation of furniture.
So, concerning installations, we are not searching for new ideas that much. We work on different projects and then ideas appear. If we see some potential ones, then we develop them further. In theatre it’s different: there is a whole reflexion behind a project in order to find a solution. And both of them also include a lot of experimenting. We are always trying to search for new concepts that give us ideas. It’s all about dealing with materials and experimenting with them. We don’t work much with computers although the spaces that we develop seem to be virtual and digital. Our projects are more made out of the material’s quality itself.
We do have some different roles. For example, I like very much working in theatre, whereas Christopher gets a little bit bored of it sometimes, and Nikola prefers working with the industry and doing industrial design. So each of us has somehow his fields where he likes to work, which means that we have to separate each project. This is the same for installations: I’m very much into tape and Christopher is more involved with the net, so it depends.
Since we developed ourselves together in the formative years, one has always spread and shared his ideas with others. Then, we make comments, think further, and make visuals separately before sending them to the other two. I think it’s easier when you are three in a group because there is always a consensus. When two of us are agree on something, there it goes. It would be harder to choose if we were only two people involved.
And we have all different qualities. For example, I’m doing a lot of 3-D visuals. When an idea comes to the point that it has to be visualised, I take it and work on it in a 3-D virtual space in order to design it further. If we need to make a model, Christopher goes to the workshop, tries to model it with real materials and sends us pictures. After that, we discuss about the concept in details. We are used to work separately but we share everything. Maybe it would not have worked if we were sharing the same office and seeing each other every day. We found a way that is running well and it’s probably the reason why we have been working together for so many years. Besides, we also work mainly abroad. In these cases, it’s like a two-weeks period working together on some projects.