In December, the Kvalitář Gallery will showcase two designers pushing the limits of luxury design using carbon fibre further than it is common in the Czech Republic.
At first sight, Šimon Knotek and Peter Demek do not have much in common. They both focus on a different domain and technology. In his work, Šimon Knotek has focused on restoring the first-republic brand of Vladimír Procházka, which produced high-quality and perfectly crafted suitcases since 1925. In 2014, he restored its name and under the Prochazka | Carbon Luggage brand, he has se devoted himself to producing ultra-light carbon luggage. Using the carbon fibre, thinner than human hair, yet very strong and shockproof, guarantees maximum functionality and timeless value. It is the reason why Šimon Knotek has chosen it as a material to build luxury luggage from. “It is the material of the future whose options have yet to be explored,” explains Šimon Knotek why he is attracted by carbon. “Even though the technology is very complex, it may also be used in small-quantity production. Emphasis is placed particularly on the individual customer needs, and the shape and character of the luggage may thus be defined by the boot of the client’s car or their specific pastimes. It is the capacity to adapt to the client’s exigent demands or the courage to handle untraditional challenges and to process them with maximum precision that makes the Prochazka | Carbon Luggage brand a strong market player with the luxury goods for the most demanding travellers.
At the exhibition in the Kvalitář Gallery, the high standard of Šimon Knotek’s luggage items will be complemented with the work of Peter Demek and his Demo brand. Peter is fascinated by the volume and the relationship to material. For the Kvalitář Gallery, he prepared a limited edition of furniture entitled Steel Pipe Furniture. Made of steel pipes, it ranks among similar structures to carbon properties. It is carbon that becomes the common denominator of the exhibition. The designer does not use carbon directly, working with steel whose inseparable component includes carbon. The items on sale will include extremely strong and resistant desks and conference tables, chests of drawers, or a mirror wall. The style of his work shows references to the trends applied in made-to-order production in the 1970s. In spite of this, he gave rise to timeless solitaires owing to his minimalist design and the choice of details (the conic chromed legs resemble the design of interplanetary ships). “The furniture items are intended for public and private spaces, art galleries, or lofts. They have been designed for the client who builds and enjoys their non-standard living and who will appreciate a more robust solitaire in terms of its weight, resembling more a sculpture than furniture,” summarises Peter Demek his vision of an ideal customer.
The exhibition in the Kvalitář Gallery offers a new perspective on using materials with great outlooks in the area of design. And this is confirmed by the work of Peter Demek and Šimon Knotek.
Šimon Knotek, born on 5 June 1978, founder and owner of the Company Prochazka | Carbon Luggage.
Peter Demek, born on 24 July 1980, graduate from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Studio of Sculpture II (Assoc. Prof. Jan Ambrůz), one of the most interesting sculptors of the new generation and whose work rests upon simplicity, sobriety, and searching for new material approaches.