The Rules of Life: Nikita Bukoros

ODESD2 presents a series of materials "Rules of life". These are talks with the designers of the company, where there is no place for questions - there are only the heroes' answers about their attitude to design, development and the most ordinary aspects of being. The authors of cult objects of Ukrainian design openly share their thoughts with readers, prompting everyone to an internal dialogue.

I became interested in design at school: drew various pens, machines, toothbrushes, made, invented. Later, when the question of choosing a profession was raised, I chose architecture: among the existing options, this was the most suitable for me. There was no such thing as a product design. I studied and even worked as an architect, but somehow I came to the world of things and objects.

I try to study various topics that are not related to design. Sometimes, new knowledge influences both the understanding of design and my profession. And vice versa: through some processes in the design I better understand the life spheres.

I work on different projects:furniture, gadgets, so I can not say that I adhere to a certain style. Everything depends on the tasks. Sometimes you need to get into a certain style. If this is work on gadgets, focus on the rules, not stylistics. I always start from the abstract image, which immediately unfolds into specific physical forms. I think about the emotion that a person will experience.

If we talk about a successful design, you can draw an analogy with a successful person. Everyone has their own criteria for success. For some, these are external factors, for example, wealth. For someone – internal – to achieve harmony with yourself. So in the design. Someone wants to make his project famous, and someone wants to create a design that helps people.

Perhaps, I have not yet come to this altruistic version. At the moment, most of what I do, I do for myself, for studying my internal processes, I am improving in this. I think that one day I will be able to give more, train, create complex things that will be able to change people's lives.

There are many other factors in the creation of the object, except my work: financial possibilities, expediency of production of this object. These things become easier in the process and at some point there is a balance - and you see that everything has come together. Therefore, each stage of the work is pleasant in its own way. It's like in life: certain advantages can be found both in youth and in adulthood.

When I joined ODESD2, I had the experience, the concepts that I created for myself, for the experiment: prototypes, models, including furniture concepts. In the bureau, I had the opportunity to work in real conditions. From this moment, my story as a product designer begins: the first steps in the profession in the way they should be.

The experience of the ODESD2 design school made me think about other similar courses on different platforms: what can I teach, in what format? The most difficult thing for me - to understand how I work. When you're in the stream, it's hard to explain how this happens. You need to analyze yourself, see things that you may not have noticed before, look from the outside - and only then explain this process to another person.

Learning is much easier when you know what you are looking for. I also learned in this way: I was looking for knowledge and information that I needed at a particular moment.

If necessary, I can easily find a language with any stranger: I try to treat it easier.There is a concept that in our days, long-term friendly relations between people are not so important. A key role can be played by those people with whom you are little acquainted, but you have their contact. At any time you can contact him and collaborate in a professional field.

For about two years I also work as a regular member in the RAWR – smart pet collar. This is a project for animals, especially dogs. Here I am fully responsible for the product design: from concept to documentation for production. At this stage I communicate with Chinese contractors, and with our engineers.

There are a lot of technical factors in RAWR, narrow framework in which I need to develop the design of the device. This is also an interesting approach to work: you need to find a non-standard solution to circumvent the restrictions.

This project echoes my personal history in some way. In my childhood I had a collie dog. Her name was Fram. But I was at the preschool age when she ran away. This incident is one of the main reasons for buying collars or similar devices for animals.

I'm very careful when it comes to pets. This is a big responsibility and a very controversial ethical issue. Any pet is a non-free animal, you limit its freedom.

All people have vulnerabilities. Previously, I was afflicted by criticism or different opinion. But then I began to look at these things a little differently. They no longer cause negative emotions, I perceive them as a necessary part of the process. There comes an understanding that everything goes on as usual.

My work allows you not to have a clear schedule. Is it good or not, I do not know. Rather it is freedom. I can work on weekends and relax on a weekday. I'm not tied to the schedule, only to the volume of tasks, and I can form my own schedule.

Any feelings that have not been experienced before are already rest, new emotions. Even from simple everyday things one can get a lot of energy. The main thing is to capture, receive, and do not take these moments for granted.

I like two-wheeled vehicles: I had a few mopeds, motorcycles, I ride a bike. Therefore, my brightest trips - in the Crimea and the Carpathians on a motorcycle. This is a completely different experience when compared with the usual trip by the car. I like the constant movement, the feeling of changing the location when you go to a new place.

I believe in those things that I can test myself, feel on my personal experience, that I can understand and perceive.

As a child, I was a hypochondriac, pensive, I was constantly thinking about existential things. Now friends also characterize me as a fairly calm person. But my own self-identification is constantly changing: I analyze myself and everything around me.

I often recall a quote from the work of Ukrainian writer Alexander Mikhed “A M N E S I A”:

“There is only a rhythm,

live it,

live it,

get fueled with it”.

You live, and at the same time you get energy from it.

My motto is to constantly question everything, analyze, look from a different angle, do not build structures that will limit you. Everything is constantly moving, there is nothing static, even the stones inside have some atoms moving! This is the essence of life.

What will happen in the future will be many times richer and more alive than I can imagine. I do not build long-term plans, I am guided by my feelings. Therefore, I do not exclude that over time I will try something different, different from design.

Interviewed by Yaroslava Kobynets