Workshop together with Frederico Duarte
Level 5 — Unit X, MMU (BA hons) Interior Design
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester, United Kingdom, April 2014
What do we eat today? What are the materials, processes, systems, tools and interfaces, but also the ideas, traditions, histories and rituals involved in the production and consumption of food in industrialized countries? And how have all those aspects been designed not just to efficiently feed everyone, every day, but also to preserve, celebrate and even create local, regional, national and transnational cultures? This one week workshop aims to look at how design shapes what, why, when and how we eat, but also how it is also shaped by “external forces” such as science, culture, trends, value – and profit. As privileged intermediaries between the making and consumption of goods and services, designers give both shape and meaning to things. As we’re approaching, or already living in a third industrial revolution that through significant changes in technology and communication has been challenging notions such as manufacture and mass production, how can we, by asking “what do we eat today?”, begin to find some of the most surprising and fascinating design solutions to our everyday needs and desires?
About Cork
Boisbuchet
August 2012
The international community of designers and architects was challenged to design new and innovative uses for cork products or improve the existing portfolio of cork-based products. From a total of 367 submissions, arrived from 39 different countries, 20 were short listed and invited to participate in a specialized workshop at Domaine de Boisbuchet. The goal of the workshop was to develop prototypes of the selected ideas. Ana Loskiewicz, a Polish designer, was the winner of the competition. Ana designed CORK BEEHIVE, a modern beehive, drastically innovating one of the most ancient uses of cork, in complete symbiosis with nature. According to Anna Loskiewicz, this modern beehive model fits in the spirit of a sustainable urban landscape such as New York or London, cities where beekeeping is becoming increasingly popular. In view of the relevance of the designs and the high quality of the resulting prototype, it was also decided to give five honorable mentions to the following finalist projects: Cork, a material with many faces, by Fabio Molinas; Cork Chair, by Sou Fujimoto Architects, Songs; headphones by Pauline Ariaux & Jacopo Ferrari; Strip, an electric plug by Natalia Suwalski; and Day off, a cool box by Zaven studio.
The jury was made up of representatives of Corticeira Amorim, Alexander von Vegesack (a representative of Domaine de Boisbuchet and Vitra Design Museum), Gabriele Pezzini (Hermès design consultant – Paris), Cathleen O‘Rourke (Director for Europe of Parsons the New School for Design – Paris), Luisa González-Portillo (Coordinator of the IED Master and Academic Director of Domaine de Boisbuchet), and Rita João and Pedro Ferreira.
More about the finalist projects here.
Develop techniques to align collective thoughts in order to debate and discuss different matters.
Consciousness awareness about personal role in school, family and society.
Introduce and develop students’ team work skills.
Enhance and develop students’ best personal skills.
We are parts made of parts of a part made of parts. We are a moment that you picked… We are undefined. We are people who sometimes look like the rest but other times we are outstanding. We are into our nature. We are all the same but different. We are as same as you are… We are movement… We are a box full of experiences. We are our surroundings, our thoughts, both complex and simple. We are always searching for something. We are connected people, we are connected to places, we are a summary of our things, we are memories. We are a bunch of memories. We are paper to be shaped. We are blanks to be solved. We are different shapes. We made what we are made of! We are a magic mirror. We are everything that happens. We are Jazz (so dance, dance, dance). We are unique and unrepeatable. We are the experience of memories. We are unique Me’s.
The theme of the 6th edition of EXD‘11 launches an exploratory analysis on the idea of Useful. In a society increasingly obsessed with the achievement of tangible goals and material possessions, the idea of being without occupation or purpose is absurd. Worse: it is politically and socially incorrect. (…) From a creative or intellectual standpoint, the idea of useless outlines the hidden yet overwhelming potential of experiments, “dead-end” or “failed” trials, abandoned prototypes and perplexing finds for which, apparently, no use has yet been found. EXD’11/LISBOA proposes a thorough reappraisal of uselessness. Uselessness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Like pure pleasure, it is disinterested. A useless experience can soothe or heighten our desire. It can lead us to debate tangible concerns, with an established scope of applicability and execution, or, alternatively inspire a symbolic, almost lyrical reflection on the significance of dimensions of intellectual and physical life such as beauty, dream and invention.
Cork is a traditional portuguese material. Part of our cultural heritage it has been around for long but only recently reinterpreted as a potential material for daily life goods. It is the ultimate green material: natural, sustainable and easy to transform. Hands-on the material will be our method as various material samples will be available for experimentations and model making of what could become future cork products. Manual skills for building and drawing are a must for this workshop as we recommend no computer in order to best enjoy both people and place.
Designing for the next week weather conditions. Students were challenged to build something for the IEDs terrace according to the weather conditions. Weather elements and their relation with the skyline took part of the design process acting as a production fase or interactivity for the outcome of an ephemeral installation.
EEC
Ceramics are part of our daily goods. Either for utility or decorative proposes ceramics are an established material for what regards objects that satisfy different needs for home or industrial uses. For ages men collected and developed technologies, first, to shape it, and second, to decorate it. From strictly utilitarian to way decorative, numerous shapes and designs take part of our lives everywhere we go. And so much is still there to be found about this multifaceted resource.
EEC stands for Electronic Enhanced Ceramics. It is a research under development by studio Pedrita that questions about metallic decorations on ceramics. Could the fact of these being electrical conductors be a start to new perceptions about the way we interact with ceramic objects? Or in the way they relate themselves? Could decorations be a pleasant shortcut for interfaces that combine ceramics with electrical devices? Would this allow a kind of next level in ceramics exploits?
In order to take this research further we worked together with IED lab students during a week workshop at Madrid. We focused on tests and possible future applications for this experiences.
It would be an overstatement to refer the social imperative associated to the renewable energies. It is undoubtedly known by now, that this type of energy can be a key factor on many levels of our society, and finally it is becoming an issue being addressed on a central government level by many Nations around the World. Strategies, and legislations are being pondered and established in order to institutionalize the use of renewable sources of energy. As far as product design is concerned, this could be one of those rare moments, were designers are asked to intervene, on one hand, in a very early stage of development of the existing technology, and on the other hand, with very little references of anything done before. This 2 aspects combined, make it a very good opportunity to merge technology and creativity on behalf of sustainability with very little margin for preconceived ideas, and to develop non-existent integrated systems and products, that can be satisfactory on every level of our lives. Products that promote an ethical approach to a sustainable way of living, and that combine this with every individual‘s pursuit of comfort, social status and self-realization.
It‘s about when you arrive home. The space you enter, what surrounds you, the jacket you take out or the comfy shoes you put in. It‘s also about when you leave. The jacket that as to be dressed again, the car keys, last hair check on the mirror.
It‘s about the space that makes the link between inside and outside moments. A linkage between private and public spaces.
Pecha Kucha is an international format now in over 700 cities. It was devised in Tokyo by Klein Dytham architecture office in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. PechaKucha 20×20 simple presentation format shows 20 images, each for 20 seconds per each speaker, promoting a rhythm during the event and reducing the probability for a bored audience.
To keep up with the present Lisbon team click here.
To know more about the international organisation check here.