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Plural Futures II: situated practices

João Xará

SEMINAR
MAY 19TH OF 2025, 3PM
MAIN ENTRANCE OF ESAD.CR EP1

The Seminar Course Unit of the BA in Industrial Design at ESAD.CR returns with a new cycle of encounters under the theme Plural Futures: situated practices. This year, we welcome guest speakers with trajectories rooted in specific places, communities, and ecologies — all with ties to the school — to reflect on design as a contextual, critical and socially engaged practice.
From social relations to collections, immersive residencies and living organisms, each seminar will be a moment of listening and dialogue with projects that do not fit conventional formats, offering alternative ways of living, thinking and designing the world.

João Xará (1996, Oliveira de Azeméis) studied Environmental Design at the School of Arts and Design in Caldas da Rainha and at LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Currently based in Caldas da Rainha, where he has established his practice, João has a master’s degree in Product Design from Esad.cr and has taken part in exhibitions and fairs such as Dutch Design Week, Maison & Objet, Lisbon Design Week and Messe Frankfurt. He has also taken part in residencies such as RARA in the Azores, Oficina de Caldeiraria at Loulé Criativo, CAU in Cortém, the Lãnd project at Ecolã and more recently Transformadora as part of the Covilhã Design Triennale.
João’s work reflects an exploration of different materials and techniques, from traditional crafts to industrial processes, often with a focus on local and indigenous materials.
He worked as a product designer at Vicara, was an assistant to Belgian designer Maarten de Ceulaer in Brussels, and shares experiences with Eneida Lombe Tavares in the designer-craftsman relationship, making their collaboration fluid and relaxed.
Since 2020, João has collaborated with several brands and ateliers from different countries, with a focus on sourcing and producing objects in ceramics, glass and joinery in Portugal.
As a member of DOC – Associação Design Ofícios e Cultura, João contributes to the organization of workshops, open studios, talks and exhibitions in Caldas da Rainha.
Since 2022, she has been working with Swiss designer Britta Pukall and collaborating on projects with Passa ao Futuro.
He has collaborated with brands such as MOR Design, Tasco Tableware, CorkUnits, Vicara, RARA, Gannon Munro, Conserveira de Lisboa and HighGate.
In 2024, João co-founded the homeware and furniture brand Bora with Samuel Reis, Jorge Carreira and Eneida Tavares.