Cocoa commission was about the issue in La Amistad International park in Costa Rica. The park is a world heritage site, large area of undisturbed highland watersheds in Southern Central America. In this deep untouched forest, there is a community that makes organic chocolate. The area is one of the poorest areas, but with help from the Nature Conservancy, this community creates economic stability. Also, they obtained land and resources to develop environmentally friendly economic activity and sustainable agriculture practice.
The challenge the designer, Yves Behar , was to empower local people through this net work to create viable income opportunities while preserving indigenous culture and the last natural forest. He designed a tool that scrapes a traditional patty to prepare chocolate drink. He also designed the package for this tool and patty. There is an illustration of Costa Rica’s map on the front of the package, and instructions on the back. The package is made from jute bags, which is used in exporting cacao beans to Europe. His approach to this project is embracing branding packaging, and user experience. Showing the map of Costa Rica commercialize their cocoa to the world market, showing where it is made. Also patty tells the culture that Bribri people drink cocoa during their celebratory occasions. Using tube bags also tells the culture of production of cacao. Branding strategy grows economy of the community yet preserves the forest.
Gondwana Link landscape of Australia is one of the most biologically diverse place in the world. It also has the spiritual meaning for the Aboriginal people who lived there for thousands of years. Since Australia was colonized, the land was destroyed, leaving large areas barrens and inhospitable to the native species. Not only did diversity of the environment change, native people were plunged into a crisis. To heal this land, Australian conservation groups and the Nature Conservancy seek to protect, reconnect and restore the land. It is acquiring the land, establishing conservation easement, and re-vegetation of areas cleared for agriculture. Also, helping the indigenous cultures re-establish the connection between the native people and the land is important. Sandlawood, quandogong, and raspberry jam wood are important resources for the native people.
For those issues, Setphen Burks designed an object that gathers and grinds plant essences, which are seeds, nuts, berries, and twigs with raspberry jam wood. These essences create lotion oils, and other products. Local people are working on developing skin care lines, using raw materials. His approach to this project is to reconnect people and land, and find ways to make a living from it. The inspiration of creating lotion must from the native tree sandla wood because it has aromatic oil. So he brought the idea from native tree to product, which illustrates a connection to the land and bring back the native’s culture that had been inherited. Also, using raspberry jam wood brings the spiritual culture back to the land and people.
The difference between the cocoa project and raspberry jam wood project is their economic base. The Bribri people already have the thriving business with their farm. Yves Behar’s project is making their project more visible to the world. Aboriginal people have a much harder hill to climb. Although there is a foundation of native plants in the area, the land must be restored to meet the ability for economic stability. The native people need to be re-introducing to the land, learning how to keep it viable for their business to grow.
I believe the raspberry jam wood commission has the greater potential to make it further that the cocoa commission because wood has the ability to be made into other objects. But we have to be careful about deforestation. There is also potential with this project, using the seed, berries, and herbs to expand their business. Business, for example, I found the wattle seed from acacia tree that is used as herbs. It becomes nice flavor in sweets dessert. Also, other berries and seeds can used as herbs, so these herbs must expand their business to next level, maybe herb container or aromatic herbs oil containers.
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