Artecnica: Enchantingly Recycled Design
20 Jul 2007 Category: Arts & Crafts, Conscientious Design, Features, Worldwide
Eco-friendly design? We’re in, for sure! But where to start? Designers Artecnica from sunny California took the first step by abandoning toxic materials and changed its production to recycled goods, producing high-class designs from Hella Jongerius, the Campana brothers or Tord Boontje - handmade in developing countries. PingMag went with Artecnica founder Enrico Bressan on a trip to get to know their Design with Conscience project.
Written by Verena
Why did you start the Design with Conscience project in 2002?
First, Artecnica started as a design studio in 1986. I’m an engineer by education and an architect by trade. My wife, Tahmineh Javanbakht, is a painter and also an art teacher and we started to work together to do architectural and interior design consulting. But whilst doing architectural work we began to look at sustainable architecture. We were very interested in projects in Third World countries and also belonged to a foundation…
… for whom you developed eco-friendly product design and architectural projects. You also worked with design schools in Brazil, the Dominican Republic and California. California…?
Because the foundation is there, and we also met architects in the area that do sustainable architecture with the Iranian architect Nader Khalili and his Californian Institute of Earth Art and Architecture. We adopted some of his technology with this foundation to build shelters in the Dominican Republic. However, this got me interested into more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions and I decided to translate that whole philosophy to my own production: We were going to shift away from our previous resin products, as resin is a two-part plastic production that is extremely difficult to recycle and toxic to produce. But we knew we wouldn’t be able to survive if we cut it out completely, so we decided to phase it out and slowly migrate to other materials. At the same time we started using more paper and eco-friendly materials like glass ceramics.
That is indeed one of the main problems: Beautiful things are often quite poisonous for the environment…
Exactly. If you start to taking environmental factors for consideration, there is a limit everywhere: All of a sudden our main material for creating whatever shape and colour and transparency we wanted was out of the question.
And when came the decision to shift the production developing countries?
When we decided to go onto other materials, we thought it would be interesting both from an efficiency and from a creative standpoint to start designing that infrastructure that would allow us to put these creative ideas into the market.
Woman of the Shipibo tribe in Peru, working on Hella Jongerius’ “Beads & Pieces” beaded ceramics.
Which leads us to Design with Conscience mission: Please explain once again why you decided to produce handmade designer products in Third World countries…
People need to understand why and what is important about making objects made by hand. But they do tend to cost more: It is a misconception that recycling costs less. The current production is so geared towards quantity and subsidised for this type of production that, when you make it by hand and recycle the products, you are actually fighting against a lot of economic forces in the market that make you more expensive. But what other choice do we have? Eventually we have to spend more because we will pay it one way or another, through global warming, through mass exodus, and immigrations through wars and conflicts. Then, it becomes probably more political. For now, we are still struggling to find this perfect harmony as a design company dealing with the economic realities. However, there are very hopeful signs. I see big corporations suddenly becoming very interested as they are getting pressured in the media and by the consumers. I find vendors in China that are now voluntarily packing all our products in paper rather than PVC. It is definitely positive, as I start to see people willing to pay more for their products. They are willing to make sacrifices beyond the bare bottom line… Let me ask you a question: Why is this interesting?
For once, sustainability is a big topic. Second, you work with renowned designers like the Campana brothers, Hella Jongerius or Tord Boontje. The Campana brothers’ TransNeomatic is such a good example of using a civilisation’s remains, tyres, and blend them with basket. Do you specifically search for like-minded designers, I guess?
Well, the process is very organic and we basically rely on serendipity. The collaborations can come from a variety of ways: from the art world, from the industrial design world, or from the graphic design field. Usually we can already identify a harmony of thoughts and concepts and that’s the way we most successfully work. This is how Tord Boontje, Hella Jongerius and the Campana brothers have come about.
What was the driving force initially behind the designers’ collaboration?
Scooter tires in Vietnam, to be used for Campana brothers’ “TransNeomatic” bowl.
I think that some of the inspiration for us comes from the Design Academy in Eindhoven, Holland, and their Humanitarian Design and Sustainable Style program that was started by Hella Jongerius in 2002. We sponsored one of the school trips. But the reason why decided to work together was simple: I went to Hella and said “I think you need to design something for us - because sustainable and humanitarian design is a big part of your philosophy, as is handcraft. But we need to execute a project that will actually produce this type of design using Third World country artisans…” She was quite convinced as she was very attached to this type of design and manufacturing philosophy. For her Beads & Pieces made in Peru, she also obviously used local symbols of indigenous Shipibo tribe women who were doing the beading on this. She values the craft work as a project of collaboration and sharing which is very close to Artecnica. We want to enchant people visually and want them to have an emotional attachment to the work they do. We are very sure that design and art can bring people together…
Let’s get a bit more into detail: Where do you produce most of your products?
Most are produced in Asia and South America. Obviously China has a good part of our production. Basically, our company has been developing a concept of moving from the original self-made resin production to going into more environmental materials. Then, going onto outsourcing to different manufacturers that could handle the different material. We started in the easiest way, working more with outsourcing to a vendor that has good capacity. But everything that we do has the same technical loop, so all the vendors have to adjust to make a product they are normally not making. They may have probably to push their skills to make modifications. And most of our vendors tell me that our products are amongst the toughest to make.
How does the whole process of production work? I guess there are not many people to produce these unique objects, so you can’t rely on mass production…
We basically have a series of producers of different types: some are large size manufacturing facilities, some are more craftsmanship artisan communities. It is a loosely organised group of producers that work with their own hands, and they don’t have much of a logistic infrastructure. If you are working with a more professional upscale manufacturing company, then obviously that is a lot easier: Import and export is made up in the company. In the beginning we produced everything ourselves, but after we shifted to different production methods we couldn’t do that anymore. Also, we couldn’t possibly produce stuff in America because the cost was increasing too rapidly for the market.
“Come Rain Come Shine” chandelier by Tord Boontje, white version, manufactured in the favela of Rochinha, Brazil.
In terms of work conditions, how do you guarantee that everything runs accordingly? Regarding the environmental problems in China, and you also went to Peru…
This Peru collaboration with the Shipibo tribe for Hella Jongerius’ Beads & Pieces initially started with a foundation outside and trips with design students to go to Brazil and develop products. So we began contacting different non-profit organisations. We felt that a lot of talented producers are becoming to be left out of global art system markets. Also, we always want to see where we work, that it is a family run business and that there is respect between the workers. We would go to China and would visit a factory to see the labour standard and work now with some that already produce the MoMA’s greeting cards. I cant say that everything there is perfect, but we try to make the best of what is available. Then, we start to suggest along the way how to recycle materials and we try to see that they use the best methods possible for the situation. Also, we should start looking at crafts production and giving access to artisans because their crafts are disappearing.
Enrico tells: “We can’t help noticing the sparkle in the Mayan eyes of the Guatemalan artisan Giovanni as he succeeds, after innumerable failures, in transforming a champagne bottle recycled from the local dump into a finely polished, museum quality vase.”
I found your travel diary in the current Artecnica PDF catalogue quite interesting. It recalls your experiences very emotionally and tells a lot about the process of making the pieces. Like when you went to the Mayans for Tord Boontje’s and Emma Woffenden’s tranSglass vases. Please tell us a bit about that!
This is part of my travel book where I am trying to remember part of the instances. Some of the original trips were done in the companionship of Tord Boontje: He had a project on the shelf called tranSglass about recycling beer and wine bottles. And this would be the right product because it could be applied and taught to apprentice artisans. Though we had some communication with some local contacts in Guatemala, we were pretty much going on an adventure - as always. With projects we are not sure if we are going to be able to realise it as the people that we meet would have to have the intention, the capacity, the desire or the need to make such a product. Else we find ourselves stuck in a situation where you are confronted by the reality of material shortages. At any turn of events we could loose the project. But as we go on, we have more and more people getting involved. That makes it hopeful because either one thinks that he is going to have a secure employment with this. And the other one thinks he has an opportunity to do the work that he wants to - and his product will not just stay in the corner of a Guatemalan street where it will be sold to an American tourist.
So, again: How did the project develop?
At one point we realised the transfer of the knowledge of this cold glass cutting manufacture and handicraft is something that is going to take a while to obtain a perfectly smooth polished glass. So, the artisans may be able to achieve perfection in one or two items, but when you work away from this reality: Can they use this in the hundreds or the thousands that may be required to sustain the process? We would have to find the optimal balance between value to the customer and value to the artisan and the capacity of things. Then, the reality is obviously that these countries we go in have a bad infrastructure, so you have problems with importing and exporting the goods: If you don’t find a certain material there you have to import that. Eventually you come to a point where you have a few thousand prototypes made and all of a sudden there is a stumbling block and it becomes a joint effort. It’s a work of love…
A conscious work of love, and its effects can be so much more for all of us! Thank you, Enrico Bressan of Artecnica for sharing your philosophy with us!
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None found
So this is the first time i m commenting first. Hey Hey…
handmade material is good to use in this Global Warming Conditions. right!!
Posted by: helen on July 20th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
this is very clever and interesting, especially with its use of recycling
beautiful designs too!
thanx pingmag!:)
Posted by: theTemp. on July 20th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
They are soooo beautiful.
What a perfect balance, making beautiful eco-friendly designs!
Posted by: shanshan on July 20th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
[...] just read Artecnica, an initiative by a couple from California I haven’t finished reading yet the article from PingMag, but it got me excited so I decided [...]
Posted by: Reinventing commerce and retail as we know it on July 21st, 2007 at 1:00 am
really nice blog. High Quality images.
Posted by: samay on July 21st, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Beautiful work I must say.
Posted by: HDR Photography on July 22nd, 2007 at 3:04 am
Trie’s have a really strong tire smell, that Im not a great fan off. Im curios to know if people use the container bowl in their homes and have they found a way to get rid of the smell??
Posted by: SHANTELL MARTIN on July 22nd, 2007 at 8:11 am
Artecnica’s kit says about that: “Before weaving begins the tire goes through a steam cleaning process removing all dirt and particles coated with a water-based non-toxic eco-friendly solution to seal and protect the tire from everyday usage.” Might help for the smell…
Posted by: Verena on July 23rd, 2007 at 12:57 am
[...] bowls made of car tyres and wicker, and lamps made from champagne bottles. PingMag article here. Via Sighmon’s Twitter, [...]
Posted by: Designer recyclables - The Relentless Stream of Consciousness on July 23rd, 2007 at 2:16 pm
In Okinawa they have been recycling old American Glass since the war and have turned their glass blowing techniques into a work of art.
Posted by: Okinawa Japan on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
What a source of inspiration for other designers.
Posted by: Clara on July 23rd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
The “recycled” tire used in that wicker container bowl sure looks new. I hope it was only used for the promotional aspect to take a nice photo. I wonder what it would look like with a well worn tire instead?
Posted by: Cynthia Thius on July 24th, 2007 at 2:34 am
so inspirational. i’ve loved the transglass vases for some time and now that i know the background, i love them even more!
Posted by: Traci on July 26th, 2007 at 8:10 am
nice work wih bottels. Looking like italian design. But how they cut the bottle( with diamond cutter or anything else) ;)
Posted by: supreet singh on July 27th, 2007 at 5:48 am
inspiring work! great focus.
Posted by: Kate Andrews on August 1st, 2007 at 4:44 am
GhP7uF You very excellent easy to site on the and navigate. eye have an ,
Posted by: Temperature on August 17th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
ciao Enrico,
siete grandi..
un bacio a torta e i bambini
Posted by: luca on August 25th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Enrico,I lost your number,call
me.
Posted by: Daniel Guevara on October 2nd, 2007 at 8:32 am
[...] has a fascinating interview with the Design With a Conscience project masterminds. Posted by me Filed in green decor, [...]
Posted by: With Envy « plain green wrapper on October 3rd, 2007 at 12:50 am
Wonderful stuff, so creative.
Posted by: Travel to Okinawa on November 24th, 2007 at 6:04 am
to supreet singh: it is very easy to cut bottle like that actually, i don’t know with what but it takes only a few minutes, i had glasses cut for a design once.
Posted by: alis on December 1st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
[...] just read Artecnica, an initiative by a couple from California; I haven’t finished reading yet the article from PingMag, but it got me excited so I decided [...]
Posted by: Reinventing commerce and retail as we know it | Heri does Ruby on Rails and Design on February 23rd, 2008 at 11:01 am
[...] Link: Artecnica: Enchantingly Handmade Recycled Design. [...]
Posted by: Artecnica. « o elogio da sombra on February 23rd, 2009 at 3:23 am
i like the pic of bowl,it is beautiful staging and utility.
Posted by: Replica Designer Handbags on July 5th, 2009 at 11:47 pm