Michael Vasku led a trans-disciplinary team from the Tomas Bata University in Zlin for creating an exhibition, which combined the concepts of wellness and home. The idea for Layabouts arose through the deliberation of the Czech language and the traditional central European stove. While at first there does not seem to be any particular relationship between the two, the connection becomes evident when examining the Czech word “pecivál,” which refers to a lazy person lying down on a masonry stove doing nothing other than letting time pass by.
Historically, masonry stoves served as the centrepiece of every household. They provided not only warmth, but also a place to cook and sleep, causing all family life to be revolved around the stove. To emphasize the feeling of family and togetherness, the masonry stove, too, found its place as a centrepiece in this installation.

While Layabouts was aimed to convey the feeling of a familiar environment to the exhibition’s visitors, the concept was also driven to inspire visitors to take a moment of rest in the otherwise hectic atmosphere of the Milan Design Week.

The overall purpose of the exhibition was to raise the question whether a little more laziness could make one a little healthier and happier. The answer was that it certainly could, if and only if, however, one were not to regret inaction but rather enjoy one’s time as a layabout. The exhibits presented were concepts of products that could assist in fostering said enjoyment for the purpose of happiness and regeneration.

Student team:

Květoslav Bartoš, webdesign/code
Petr Daneš, spatial design
Vojtěch Dočkal, animation
Adela Galbavá, graphic design
Vít Hašek, photography/video
Veronika Jakóbková, spatial design
Petra Koutná, graphic design
Ondřej Puchta, spatial design
Jakub Šabata, marketing communications