Archive

In and Around – Design and ways of thinking about the Project.

Sara Silva and Carolina Calheiros

SEMINAR
APRIL 15TH OF 2024, 2.30PM
ROOM 10 OF EP.1 – ESAD.CR

Barro de Café by Sara Silva (MA)

The Barro de Café project is a “good” practical example of how to rethink design as a discipline and how to reaffirm the role of designers as responsible, useful and committed agents in solving common problems at a local and/or regional level. The project was based on the concept of the circular economy and a renewed environmental awareness, particularly with regard to the management, recovery and reuse of waste from the food and catering industry.

The development of the project involved experimenting with the combination of ceramic pastes and coffee grounds in order to create materials with new characteristics and examine their potential for new functional applications.

Sara Silva is a Portuguese industrial designer who holds a master’s degree in product design from ESAD.CR. Her focus is on designing unique products that prioritize functionality, eco-conscious use of natural resources, and research into new materials and production techniques.

She studied at UNIBZ in Bolzano, Italy, where she was a student of Francesco Faccin and Secil Ugur Yavuz.

Currently, she holds a research grant with the ECP EcoCerâmica e Cristalaria de Portugal project, collaborating with companies such as Sanindusa, Leerdam Crisal Glass, and Vista Alegre – Ria Stone. Her focus is on promoting ecological sustainability in the industrial product sector. Additionally, she works on personal projects and collaborates with other designers and artists.

She collaborated on product development with the MARE research center, and some of her projects are part of the Jan Van Eyck Academie’s Future Material Bank archive. This demonstrates her openness to new horizons in different creative areas.

Photosynthesis: Bio-photosensitisation applied to Ceramics by Carolina Calheiros (MA)

The ‘Photosynthesis’ project was developed on the basis of observing, understanding and mimicking the natural of this natural process, focusing on its photochemical phase. This adaptation of phenomena from nature to the artificial world has enabled the development of a sustainable process of generating and preserving images on earthenware, using natural inputs – a photosensitive emulsion (extracted from plants) and sunlight. In this context, ceramics act as mediating material for an experience that aims to emphasise a more poetic and relationship with nature.

Carolina Calheiros has a degree in Industrial Design from ESAD.CR, where she completed her Masters in Product Design with the project “Photosynthesis: Bio-photosensitisation applied to ceramics”. Since then, she has continued her research into the photosensitisation of ceramic surfaces using natural pigments, participating in artistic residencies and other projects. She is currently a researcher at LIDA – Laboratório de Investigação em Design e Artes, as part of the “Ecocerâmica e Cristalaria de Portugal” (ECP) project.