Oaxaca 2006 / Design for development
I grew up in Mexico observing a lot of disavantage for the indegenous communities. This project explores ways to empower them through the use of craft and tradition. Craft is inherited through generations and its unique to each region. We created a space in the city of Oaxaca to showcase the products, experiment with ideas and open the conversation with the rest of the community.
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This chair was inspired by a sugar sack that we found in the central market of Oaxaca. There was an inherent beauty to the sack, so we wanted to use it a central element in a collapsible chair. The parts fit within the sack and the chair is easy to assemble.
This design originated in the 18th century and was first seen in a french monastery. We developed the design in Oaxaca with the help of two different families.
The hinge is handcrafted by a blacksmith family. This hinge allows the required rotation, but it is also customized to the chair dimensions. The chair is handcrafted by a carpenter that lives in a small community in the outskirts of Oaxaca. We experimented with color and different finishes.
Our objective was to create a high quality craft product that will give pride to the families that are producing it, while generating new paths for economic susteinability.
The patterns were developed by tracing the contour of different shadows in the rural Oaxacan area and in the city. The result are this abstract but recognizable patterns that talk to the locality of the production of the craft.
A master weaver from Teotitlan del Valle, Sergio Lazo, developed the patterns into weaves. He experimented with natural colors, generating new ideas and effects. The result is a new type of product that enables Sergio to differentiate himself from a very competitive market.
e developed this lamp in collaboration with an artisan that has mastered a material from the region, similar to bamboo, called carrizo. Don Apolonio Martinez has traveled around the world teaching and learning different techniques that have allow him to develop his craft.
This lamp was developed using local materials
The shape was inspired by a nest that hangs from the trees in the coast of Oaxaca.e developed this lamp in collaboration with an artisan that has mastered a material from the region, similar to bamboo, called carrizo. Don Apolonio Martinez has traveled around the world teaching and learning different techniques that have allow him to develop his craft.
This lamp was developed using local materials
The shape was inspired by a nest that hangs from the trees in the coast of Oaxaca.
RURAL LANDSCAPE
'Utari Blackbox emerged as a response to threats that are currently faced by the Wixárika. It is our hope to provide creative, design centered alternatives through a series of workshops and collaboration on a line of objects built on blackbox’s fundamental premise of developing culturally resonant objects through interdisciplinary exchange and sustainable practice.
Materials for each design are sourced from elements surrounding the rural landscape. Processes such as sourcing organic materials from the immediate landscape will call upon the value of accessible, renewable resources.
The collaboration resulted in a process to mold organic fibers using terracota molds. We also dicovered a natural glue, that is exctracted from the root of a local orchid. With this glue we were able to prototype 3D structures using carrizo and string.
URBAN LANDSCAPE
'Utari Blackbox emerged as a response to threats that are currently faced by the Wixárika. It is our hope to provide creative, design centered alternatives through a series of workshops and collaboration on a line of objects built on blackbox’s fundamental premise of developing culturally resonant objects through interdisciplinary exchange and sustainable practice.
Materials for each design are sourced from elements surrounding the urban landscape. Processes such as re-use will shed light on the importance of innovative solutions to our environmental impact, while sourcing organic materials from the immediate landscape will call upon the value of accessible, renewable resources.
The collaboration resulted in interesting digital media interventions as well as the creation of some objects that explore the intersection between tradition and landscape.
TEAM
Raquel de Anda is an Independent Curator, Art Writer and Creative Director currently residing in Mexico City. From 2003-2010 Raquel served as Associate Curator at Galería de la Raza, a contemporary Latino arts organization based in San Francisco, CA. Moving beyond gallery walls, crossing borders, and delving into social practice and public based works are of continuous interest to de Anda. Recent exhibitions include The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art at the Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, D.C. and Art in Odd Places, New York, NY. Raquel is an active contributor to LatinArt.com.
Gustavo Fricke is an industrial / interaction designer and social entrepreneur interested in social justice, film and technology. Fricke founded blackbox in Oaxaca Mexico (2006), a project that engages indigenous communities in the creation of contemporary craft. He currently resides in San Francisco CA and holds an MFA in Design from the California College of Art (San Francisco, CA). Recent positions include Product Designer at NONOBJECT (Palo Alto,CA) and Bespoke Inovations (San Francisco, CA). Fricke is currently engaged in various self-initiated projects while also working as a Producet Designer at New Deal Design.
http://cargocollective.com/utari
