Priscila Lena Farias / Anna Calvera Marcos da Costa ... - Blucher

A practical experience on acting local thinking global: design as the enabler of new sources of collaboration
– to accommodate variables of a contemporary turbulent market
environment.
The structure of the workshop was divided into three moments,
following the organization presented in figure 1 in which: pink
areas refer to formal work and dark gray areas refer to cultural
experience of the region. Theme seminars (1a) provided information
for the design process (1b, 2a, 2c). Third moment consisted
in the presentation of the results (3a, 3c).
Figure 1. Workshop structure
Underlying principles for the workshop
Seminars were presented to provide the information about the
context in which the design teams would have to operate and
the workshop general goals. It was introduced the importance
of design in local cultures, elements of design in the region in
different activities and new social dynamics and opportunities
for interior furnishing and urban furniture.
Ribatejo is a region located in the center of Portugal. Main social
issues are ageing population facing increasing isolation and low
income; and unemployment and layoff due the decrease of production
and the exit of multinational companies to other countries.
Social fabric is also composed by urban nomads that live in
the region during working days, or live permanently in the region
but work abroad every day. Cities and villages face increased desertification
because of the construction of major retail centers
and this reflects on the sustainability of local markets.
These subjects were presented as issues that might be considered
opportunities to explore and create value. Ageing population
and unemployment can be tackled as available knowledge
with time; existence of factories with low production as technological
means for producing other goods; and transportation
infrastructures – proximity to Tagus river, railway lines and highways
linking to major Portuguese and Spanish cities – as the
basics of global distribution for locally produced goods.
The importance of design in local cultures was presented as a
continuum process of creation that can provide the user several
layers of embedded knowledge in the product. The interpretation
of the cultural heritage can be incorporated in some aspects of
the strategy, the process and/or the product itself. This added
value can be stated in the final product and it is apprehended by
the user, creating a relation with the production region, independently
from the local of consumption.
The presentation seminar concerning Ribatejo regional aspects,
detailed previous concepts by showing design signs through
time in different supports. Covering a broad characterization,
from historical aspects to traditional and contemporary activities,
from landscape proprieties to construction style and details,
from craftwork to industrial production, it was communicated
a wide scope of information that could be incorporated in
the development of the design proposals.
Subsequent presentations were concerned with expanding horizons
to drive the areas of domestic and urban furniture. Changes
that occurred during the last decades were mapped under social,
political, market and technological issues.
The goal of the presentations, made by researchers and practitioners
on the subjects, was to enlarge the scope of the context
introducing several layers of variables and a deeper knowledge
about the region and the subjects. This approach provided the
space for presenting and debating specific issues on design aspects
as well as existing and latent outside opportunities that
could be explored in the projects’ development.
Design process
The design process considering the ideation and prototyping
phases was divided in six moments; 1) Presentation of group
members 2) Themes presentation; 3) Brainstorming; 4) Ideas
Analysis; 5) Concept selection; 6) Design Development ; 7) Internal
Presentation; 8) Refinement.
Presentation of group members was made through the assignment
“The machine game”. Each group had five minutes to conceptually
develop a machine and to perform its functionality
with gestures to the other groups. Each group member would
represent one structural function of the overall machine. The
goal was to overcome initial social boundaries and to create a
group spirit throughout the physicality of the exercise. The buildup
of a social relation is an essential ground point for the good
development of the projects.
After the preliminary exercise, each group received the information
about the material and typology of the object that they
would have to develop during the workshop.
Subsequent stage was the brainstorming session. In its 25
minutes duration each group would have to generate 20 ideas,
according to the ground rules established (IDEO 2011): 1) Not
judge ideas; 2) Have always the theme as goal; 3) One people
talking at the time; 4) The amount of ideas; 5) Buildup ideas of
one other element; 6) Communicate visually; 7) Generate two
wild ideas.
Design Frontiers: Territiories, Concepts, Technologies 261