ADÉLA VYHNÁLKOVÁ

ALL MY WORKS ARE LIES...
writing as the manifestation of living

Graphic Design Studio 1

For your graduate work, you decided to create a book… In fact, to write it, too. It seems to me the book is about friendship and is intended for friends, imbued with life experiences that you observe and let impact you. What life milestones led you to writing?
Yes, that’s right! I think writing was more of a general desire I’ve always had, one that gradually merged with other activities. Sometimes, when my parents are cleaning the house I grew up in, they find a little book that I don’t even remember creating as a child. So, rather than major turning points, writing was probably about tiny steps for me – and there have been a whole lot of them. I think the milestones were more about the people I met along the way who influenced how I do things. And that is actually what you are talking about – friendship and alliances.

Your writing flows freely like speech or an unrestrained stream of inner dialogue. Do you consider yourself a compulsive writer?
Haha, well… Maybe… You could theoretically call a certain part of my work obsessive. Some form of “obsession” or deep interest is actually an important part of it, and perhaps even the reason why I am able to engage with things for so long. But what’s important is that it is not just about the text, but other themes as well. The ones I write about or associate with the process – such as walking, communicating, and telepathy with everyone including people, animals, clouds, and the whole earth; the need to be able to take care of myself in all sorts of situations – in short, the goal of navigating the world honestly and independently. But I don’t approach my projects mindlessly or pathologically (in the original sense). Even though they often involve long-term, spontaneous, or monotonous – even meditative – activities, I reflect on them critically and strive to be mindful of their progression. In the past, I have sometimes jokingly introduced myself to acquaintances as a ‘professional pyromaniac’ – whether it is about starting fires, writing, or anything else, I consciously work with the connection between these fascinations, often with exaggeration and humor.

Is your work about learning to recognize all kinds of life conventions, become aware of them, and, by extension, about trying to escape them?
In some cases, yes. It was about finding ways to create a story that, through its content, form, and setting, would best represent the principles I myself would like to live by as both a person and a designer: being outdoors, learning through experience, being skilled and resourceful in designing and making things, and fostering direct, face-to-face connections with others. Over time, I have come to certain decisions through which I strive to fulfill these resolutions of mine. My project often refers to the Tramps, who set themselves apart from certain social conventions – and yes, sometimes even seek to escape them.

photo: Polina Davydenko