Design for a Living World

Diagrams (Color Coded to represent active engagement by design)

Comparison of Approaches and Outcomes of “Design for the Living World” Exhibit

Design for a Living World is an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in which ten leading designers have been tasked to design new applications for sustainable grown and harvested materials to illustrate the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design[1]. Yves Behar was tasked to work with cocoa grown by the Bribri of Costa Rica. Ezri Tarazi worked with bamboo harvested from China. Behar’s approach centered on the growers of the cocoa, while Tarazi focused on using bamboo in its natural form to retain some of its original character. Beyhar is more successful due to his product’s engagement of the local culture and ability to bring increased revenue to the local economy without increased production.

Cocoa was the material Behar was tasked to design for. This is grown by an organic cocoa cooperative of Bribri women. The Bribri are an indigenous tribe in Costa Rica who subsist on agriculture and live in balance with nature. Their sustainable use of agriforestry has allowed their way of life to continue for thousands of years. The Bribri live relatively isolated from the rest of society which has been sustained by their self-sufficient practices. This isolation has resulted in poor education and healthcare, as well as the lowest income per capita in the country[2]. Behar’s design centers around this cocoa patty made by the Bribri. It is used for making a traditional local chocolate drink. Behar designed a jute bag as packaging for the cocoa patty, which is reminiscent of the bags used for shipping cacao beans. This is accompanied by a tool which is used to shave cocoa off the patty and then deposit those shavings to a cup of hot milk to be stirred by the same utensil. The utensil also has a feature to allow it to hang off the end of the cup. Solely on its merits as a tool for making a beverage, the cocoa shaver succeeds. It incorporates the gesture of the drink making process into the tool. It also succeeds in exporting and sustaining the Bribri’s culture. It brings this culinary tradition to the world as well as additional income to the Bribri. The export of cocoa brings in income, but it is then processed into products that place more money in the consumers of the raw cocoa. By processing the cacoa into patties and exporting directly to the end user, there are less middlemen and an opportunity for greater revenue. The Bribri are able to sell the same quantity of cacao as a processed product worth more on the open market. The benefit of this additional revenue will help toward maintaining their ecological balance. Instead of needing larger cacao farms to generate more money, it can be done with their existing crops.

Ezri Tarazi was given bamboo to explore its potential. Bamboo is a material that has a long history in Asia. It has been used structurally for buildings, bridges and scaffolding, woven into fabrics and used as a food source in various forms. Today, it has become a popular material due to its economy and sustainability. Bamboo grows to its full height in a given season and can be harvested in as little as 3 years which is considerably shorter than the harvest time for trees[3]. Tarazi sought to use bamboo in its natural form unlike the commonly processed forms like bamboo plywood or chopsticks. His solution incorporated bamboo’s natural form, while and machining material away and adding metal components to transform the bamboo into storage racks, lighting, speaker, and a computing station. His resulting designs are unsuccessful in harnessing the natural form of the bamboo into a cohesive product. It might fit on “Giligan’s Island” if stereo and computer equipment washed ashore, but outside of those shores it does not have a home.

My enhancement would be a material and form change to Yves Behar’s cacao shaver. Though a beautiful product it is not something which could be made by the indigenous Bribri people. Additionally, the production of steel, which is used in the grater, is an energy intensive and environmentally impactful process. My solution is to make a similar tool that is made of ceramics. Clay can be harvested less of an ecological impact than steel. The uni-body material eliminates the use of wood and steel which would require industrial manufacturing processes to create into the finish product. This would likely not be done by the Bribri. If provided with the proper molds, the Bribri can make their own ceramic cacao shavers which could provide and additional income.

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[1] "Design for a Living World." cooperhewitt.org. 12 Sep. 2009. .

[2] "The Bribri People." msnu.edu. 12 Sep. 2009. .

[3] "Why Bamboo." calibamboo.com. 12 Sep. 2009. .

Design - Stage II