DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE: Design Meets Social and Environmental Responsibility
By Ann Leggett
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Artisan making TransNeomatic
“The journey of our product is as beautiful as the product itself.”
Enrico Bressan and Tahmineh Javanbakht
Enchant, inspire and transform, that’s the vision formulated by Artecnica’s art directors Enrico Bressan and Tahmineh Javanbakht to elevate the purpose of everyday objects. Based in Los Angeles, Artecnica is a design and manufacturing company that collaborates with celebrated international designers to express this vision through an innovative line of products. The result is a unique collection of design objects such as tables, lamps, clocks, and other home accessories made with eco-friendly materials and manufacturing methods.
Founded in 2002 and based on humanitarian and environmentally friendly principles, their award-winning DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE program takes things one step farther, pairing leading international designers with artisan communities in need. DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE offers an alternative economic reality to artisans in oppressed areas, resulting in hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind designs that are not only visually stunning but also economically, socially, and environmentally conscious. The line includes bowls made of re-used tires and natural wicker manufactured by artisans in Vietnam, a ceramic collection handcrafted in the primary coca leaf-growing region of Peru and much more. It’s re-use meets resource, with fine design thrown into the mix.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Enrico Bressan, one of Artecnica’s founders about the details of their DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE program.
Ann Alexander Leggett: How did you come up the idea for DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE (DWC)?
Enrico Bressan: The idea for DWC came from our backgrounds and the activities in our lives as we developed Artecnica. We have been very involved with a variety of designers and architects who have been interested in green, environmental, and sustainability issues. We wondered, how can design be an active protagonist? So the concept really came from our conscience; hence the name. We all believe so strongly in these issues that it just felt right to incorporate them into our business. We thought, if it can work in our company, perhaps other businesses will see the value and start similar programs to support artisan communities in need. And that is, in fact, happening.
AAL: How many countries have been involved with the DWC program to date?
EB: Six. Guatemala, Peru, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, and Vietnam.
AAL: How do DWC products differ from the products in Artecnica’s main line?
EB: The DWC program includes products designed by international designers that are made by artisan communities around the world. We find communities that have a hard time getting into the market. As a result, the program then becomes a humanitarian project. Recyclability and social responsibility are key components of the program. Another wonderful aspect is that some of the products take on an ethnic feel. For instance, in the TaTu pieces which are handwoven in South Africa, you can see iconic African shapes. DWC follows pretty rigid guidelines, but we are moving more and more towards incorporating those principles into Artecnica’s other lines.
AAL: How extensive is the interaction between designer and artisan in the DWC program?
EB: Many of the designers travel to the countries and work directly with the artisans manufacturing their product. As a result, the designers are often influenced by the artisans with whom they are working. The product’s design can often change based on input from the artisans. It’s an enriching process for all.
Beads & Pieces designed by Hella Jongerius, made by artisans in Peru for Artecnica.
AAL: Has DWC been a challenging process? If so, how?
EB: It’s been a difficult program…some issues were hard to handle when we started. We had to do some convincing. We had to convince our retailers and customers to follow this line. They had concerns such as, will the products cost more? But we had the designers, design schools, and media as our allies. The media was on board because it was good news, it was an up and coming progressive idea. However, the program requires many people in order to succeed such as designers, manufacturers, artisans, and liaisons between the two groups because the artisans, for example, may not be skilled at the logistical side of manufacturing, like the sheer volume of paperwork. That can be difficult. The pricing component is challenging as well. Not all of the products have been commercially viable, and some lines have only had two or three reorders. But some have been very successful such as the transGlass, which is priced competitively. Some of the other products tend to be more up-market, but they do well too. Making all the products sustainable over a long period of time from a commercial standpoint is a work in progress. But in the end this is the case for most products in the market.
AAL: I love your quote, “the journey of our product is as beautiful as the product itself,” because it so beautifully describes the DWC program. In addition to all of the positive attributes of the program&nda**** sheer global reach, its mission to invigorate commerce and involve artisans in need around the world, its humanitarian and environmental consciousness issues–I would imagine the program has evolved to become so much more than what you had envisioned. I assume it has taken on a life of its own in many respects, as well as touched lives in ways you never expected. Can you talk a little about that, and tell me one of your favorite stories about the program?
EB: Everyone involved in the program has been affected on so many levels. We are affected in a technical sense, a professional sense, and a manufacturing sense. But more important, there are the emotional and personal components that are so meaningful such as getting to know one another’s cultures and problems, and as a result of those we constantly strive to make the program better. The tide is in our favor now and we are very pleased to see that more and more companies are working with designers whose pieces are being manufactured by artisan communities in need. We just helped bring the concept into reality, and we have more products being developed as we speak.
One of my favorite stories was when we were in Guatemala working on the transGlass product. We went down to the artisan site to improve the manufacturing technique because the artisans had no experience. We all felt frustrated and the process was very slow, yet we were determined to stay optimistic. After four days of work and training we thought, are we ever going to get there? Then, on the last day, the lead artisan started to get it and he was making glass pieces that weren’t breaking. He looked at us with these incredulous eyes and said, “It can be done!” It was amazing. From that point forward everything fell into place. Sometimes the artisans lack confidence and they don’t feel that they have the necessary skills. Sometimes they feel very humbled.
The program has a life of its own because I think every product we have done has its own interesting and tragic moments. The DWC program will stay in the memories of every designer and artisan involved. It will survive in the history of Artecnica as one of our most difficult projects, but also one of the most meaningful.
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