Image Courtesy of PROTOPROJECTS.
Uniting East and West, PROTOPROJECTS / PROTO is an art project founded by Dmytro Krasnyi in 2018 in order to find new possibilities for design. The project focuses on ethnic groups and locality, traditional techniques in the modern context and manual labour as counterweight to mass production. SLEEK speaks to Krasnyi about the beginnings of the project and how making by hand could be the future of design.
SLEEK: Introduce us to PROTOPROJECTS.
Dmytro Krasnyi: PROTO began in 2018. It’s a project concerned with producing garments and objects by hand at a prototype level, with an emphasis on printing techniques. Back in 2018, I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo, where my girlfriend was living. At the time, I was studying for my MA in architecture in Kyiv and Tokyo left a huge impression on me. Seeing a city with such a rich and deep artistic culture fostered my interest in exploring spaces within and beyond architecture.
Architecture is a field with two elements: the more precise one and the more artistic one. With PROTO, it’s about bringing these two elements together. It’s about blurring the boundaries between utility and art. I began with a small run of hoodies and T-shirts before going on to make furniture and decorative objects. The importance of craftsmanship is at the heart of everything that we do. There’s a very human quality to our work: you can sense the human touch within each piece.
Image Courtesy of PROTOPROJECTS.
S: You create by hand at a prototype level. This means that you only make between 20 and 30 examples of each of your designs.
DK: Exactly. At this stage, it’s more like an experiment. We don’t aim to produce a lot, I’m not sure we ever will. It’s more about experimenting with knowledge, thinking how to apply it in new ways through different construction and printing techniques. It’s about questioning what’s around us, and thinking of how we can do it better and more sustainably. By making such a small run, we’re trying to show how garments and other objects can be pieces of art, rather than mass-produced commodities. To achieve this, collaboration becomes a key part of the work.
S: You collaborated with photographer Vladyslav Andrievsky, who we also spoke with for this issue, to create bags made of military ponchos in a limited edition of 10 copies. Can you tell us more about this?
DK: It was a very organic collaboration. In fact, every collaboration feels quite personal. I think that’s important. Vladyslav is a friend of mine and I knew he was very good at his practice. I also knew he had a small garment project on the side and so I invited him into PROTO so that we could do something together. He had the creative vision and I had the expertise in printing and creating objects.
S: What is your process? How do you go from idea to conception?
DK: Everything is done by hand. We’re a very small team and it’s always very important that we try our best to push the limits. This means that we make each garment as unique as we can. We have a special system of numbering each garment which makes it feel more like something to be cherished, appreciated. It begins with me developing the design, then working with my friends to print and create.
Image Courtesy of PROTOPROJECTS.
S: What drives you?
DK: The thing that drives me is having freedom. I think that’s really important in what I do. The freedom to create and work with friends – to inspire other people – is a huge aspect of my practice.
S: How has Ukraine influenced your practice?
DK: For the last two years I’ve been living between Ukraine and Germany, but I grew up in Kyiv. Of course, spending such formative years in this city has had a huge impact on who I am. In Kyiv, especially after the last eight years of revolution, there has been a huge wave of freedom. There are not as many rules in Ukraine as there are in Germany; if you want to do something, you can just do it – without the endless administrative work. For young people, this is so important, as it allows us to believe that anything and everything is possible.
S: How do you see the future of design?
DK: Design is at the heart of human existence. When you create something, you feel part of the evolution process. And it’s not only about creating, but creating meaningfully. I think design has the capacity to present alternative ways of living. It can be useful in finding solutions to problems. We live in a world where pressure is constant and where we’re collectively stuck in this ultra-fast pace of working. For me, it’s interesting to project this onto the design sphere and change it. Therefore, we should aim for more local resources with greater precision and care.
As featured in SLEEK 76 FREEDOM. Available in print and digital here.