7° Encuentro, BIENAL IBEROAMERICANA DE DISEÑO

October 26, 2017

Presentation of the project “Centro de Investigación de diseño y oficios autóctonos”,

Design Investigation and Native Crafts Center.

The project began from the necessity and the lack of documentation of crafts making, Guatemala has a big ethnical and cultural diversity that comes along with high mastery and capacities on the crafts making. However, this whole body of “alive knowledge” is not easily accessible for designers that could work in collaboration with artisans and help each other on the design process. For this reason the Investigation Center was started, by Lula Capriel, Design coordinator of Centro Municipal de Emprendimiento in Guatemala City.

The first phase was Ceramics, we worked with a ceramics workshop located in Totonicapán. The investigation began with visits and examination of the workshop with the purpose of evaluating the craftsmen methodology. The ethnography investigation is essential during the process, because we focus in the process but also the meaning of the ceramics crafts in their daily life.

The project was presented in the workshop called “Emprender en las Industrias Creativas. Claves para un diseño curricular” During the 7°Design Congress “Bienal Iberoamericana de diseño” Madrid, España. Lead by Laurent Ogel and Lula Capriel with the participation of Annette Vásquez Presenting her start up called BAU BAU and myself, presenting my experience as a member of the investigation team.