Thomas Skalicky
University of Tasmania
Tom Samek’s creative process is more often than not one of instinct - his ideas come to him in a singular moment in which he is inspired by something he sees, reads or hears. Consequently, he describes his work as dealing with ‘situations’. Having been born in Czechoslovakia, he cites the “black humour amongst the Czechs” as a primary influence thereby he tries to insert a dash of humour in all his works, “to lighten even the most serious scenario”. His travels around Europe from his youth also have a large influence on his creative process as his pieces often revolve around classical music or things he has observed people doing whilst he travelled; particularly involving alcohol.