Freelance industrial designer (studies at Elisava and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design) active in the professional field with projects developed with several companies (such as Camper, BD Barcelona, Metalarte, Zicla, Mahou...) and with foundations and associations involved in social programmes (such as Arrels Fundació, Fundació Tot Raval, Fundació Impulsem, Fundació San Martín de Porres, We Are Water Foundation...). In fact, often by conducting projects that put both “groups” together.

In these areas, my main interest and areas of design research could be described primarily as explorations of how humans (particularly those in the most vulnerable situations) can participate in defining and constructing their environment by taking advantage of their circumstances (whatever they may be). All of this is basically asking two questions; how design can stimulate empowerment and emancipatory attitudes on the one hand and generate links and connections between unrelated groups on the other.

About taking the leap... And not getting hurt too badly.

About processes and the different stakeholders involved (and their roles) in some small “design” projects.

Starting from the current scenario of transition towards “another more desirable reality”, projects are presented in which different themes, contexts and strategies which try to move in this direction are explored. Far from appearing as illustrative examples “of success” (some can clearly be seen as quite the opposite), they will be considered as critical means and cases for questioning the different aspects they address. One element that all these projects may have in common is the desire to investigate relations and contracts among organisations, circumstances and dimensions that were not previously there to such an extent (or even not at all). Special attention is therefore given to visualising in each one the different stakeholders involved and their different rols

We are a creative cell of women architects formed in 2006 who develop Urban Planning, Architecture, Design and Research-Action projects. We design spaces and programmes that promote minimising people’s impact on the environment, social development, innovative construction techniques and generating collaborative and participatory contexts. 

We have conducted projects, exhibitions, conferences and seminars in art and teaching institutions in Europe, the United States, Latin America and China. Our project Ciudad Biótica Agroplaza has been exhibited in the Spanish Pavilion of the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 and was a finalist in the Arquia Próxima Award 2016. We have exhibited the project Collective Intelligences at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2015, developed the project Bilbao Commons as Resident Collective at Azkuna Zentroa, received the 1st Prize Arquia Próxima 2012 of the Caja de Arquitectos de España, the VIII Biennial of Architecture of the Caribbean as Urban Built Project or the 1st Prize at the XI Biennial of Architecture of Santo Domingo, Landscape category.

CIUDAD BIÓTICA / AGROPLAZA

Biotic City is a Pezestudio research-action line that aims to transform cities in a collaborative way to improve the quality of life of people by putting life and diversity in the spotlight. It is put together with creative, social and inclusive actions through citizen participation, feminism and ecology.
As part of Ciudad Biótica, we have developed Agroplaza, a methodology for transforming public spaces connecting users with each other and with the environment. Agroplaza is developed through participatory processes that involve different user agents linked to each location. The project crystallises in spaces and infrastructures that save resources and energy, increase biodiversity, include living communities in the urban environment and generate community and innovative activities. Agroplaza has been designed in Agronautas experimental laboratories, twenty or so processes that since 2011 have involved dozens of communities in Spain (Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante...), Europe (Reykjavik, Paris) and America (Lima, New York). Agroplaza has been implemented in the Alhóndiga neighbourhood in Getafe (2015) and in the Kirikiño square in Bilbao (2020). It has been a Finalist in the Arquia Próxima 2016 awards and exhibited in the Spanish pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2020-2021.

Basque Design Center -BDC- focuses on developing new technologies and disciplines applied to the circular economy through research into regenerative practices. Inspired by nature and biological organisms, Biodesign strategies will be explored as a driver of innovation, driving the transition to a more holistic and sustainable future.

This initiative aims to improve the competitiveness of local businesses and consolidate the large area of sustainable rural development in Gueñes. This new centre will give way to the knowledge and application of sustainable design through masterclasses, workshops and support for entrepreneurship initiatives. The students, start-ups and entrepreneurs who become part of our community will be pioneers in the emerging discipline of biodesign, proposing solutions to contemporary challenges such as climate change, energy-efficient manufacturing, natural resource depletion, human and environmental health.

With advanced resources such as the Materioteca, the Bio Lab and the FabLab, the FOC will introduce professional designers and those in training to multidisciplinary thinking, the principles of biomimicry, bio-computational design, digital and bio-manufacturing techniques. It will be a “laboratory” for development and research applied to design new materials, the textile industry, products and furniture, services, systems, and sustainable and regenerative architectural proposals.

Adele Orcajada
Adele has been a materials researcher, librarian and curator since 2014, working as a freelance consultant before becoming a partner at MaterialDriven, where she continues to explore materials innovation with brands and institutions. Adele, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, has experience as a fashion accessories designer and product developer, working with fast fashion companies, artisan designers, and fair-trade initiatives. She has taught at fashion and design schools in Spain and the UK, including IED, ESNE, Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Arts and Kingston. Adele also regularly contributes as a speaker at events such as Fashion Revolution’s Open Studio, The Festival of Making, London Design Week and London Craft Week on cutting-edge topics such as material innovation, sustainability and the circular economy. Her essay Embodying the Invisible was recently published in The Slow Grind by Laundry Arts Service. Adele is certified by the Healthy Material Lab at Parsons NY in healthy materials and sustainable buildings. Adele is currently the academic director of the Basque BioDesign Center in Bilbao, a space dedicated to biodesign, technology, and sustainable materials development.

Dream Painter is an interactive robotic installation that turns the audience’s dreams into a collective painting. The artwork consists of multiple parts: interaction station, painting robot, and creative coding that transforms a spoken word to art on the canvas.

We all dream. Some dreams we remember in the morning, some are just gone. Often, the ones we record we hardly understand until the end. Well-known psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud has dedicated a lot of effort in understanding the human unconscious through analysing dreams. Freud was convinced of the power of the dreamworld when understanding the human mind. In his famous book Interpretation of Dreams, he states the following: “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.” (Sigmund Freud, 1899)

The artwork poses several important questions, like: can machines understand our unconscious? What happens if algorithms can make sense of our dreams and understand us better than we do? Is there a limit of trust when it comes to the relationship between humanity and technology?

Dream Panter is commissioned by Tabakalera and Tekniker.

Varvara & Mar

Varvara & Mar is an artist duo formed by Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet in 2009. In their practice, they confront social changes and the impact of the technological era. Varvara & Mar are fascinated by kinetics, participation, and digital fabrication, which are integral parts of their work.

Artists have exhibited their art pieces in several international shows, such as at MAD in New York, FACT in Liverpool, Santa Monica in Barcelona, Barbican and V&A Museum in London, Ars Electronica museum Linz, ZKM in Karlsruhe, and more.

Varvara (born in Tartu, Estonia) has a PhD in art from the Estonian Academy of Arts. She has a master’s degree in digital media from ISNM, Luebeck University in Germany and a bachelor’s degree in IT from Estonian IT College. Currently, she holds the position of Assistant Professor in Computational Media and Arts at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (GZ).

Mar (born in Barcelona) is a PhD candidate and Cudan research fellow at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School in Tallinn University, focusing on AI and interactive art. He earned his MA in Interface Cultures at the University of Art and Design Linz. Mar has also studied art and design at ESDI in Barcelona and computer game development at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.

Food Design Nation: Designing better futures of food by connecting global food creatives. We are the world's largest growing community of transdisciplinary creatives collaborating to redefine global food systems. We design frameworks for the most pressing and complex edible challenges, centered around culture, history, and its relationship with food, arts, and design. By providing spaces for reflection and dialogue, we feed intellectual beauty by documenting proposals and activities through periodical publications. We use food as a language without borders to integrate planet-driven values at our core practices.

Nicole Vindel

Of Guatemalan origins, she grew up in Girona and now lives in Barcelona, where she opened her studio more than four years ago. In it, she develops new artistic narratives around food as a medium that allows her to explore the complexities and nuances of the current food context.
Hungry for change, as published in Vogue Spain 2021, her work combines intellectual and formal beauty to generate collective awareness. Drawing from a background in design and engineering and her research into advanced materials in haute cuisine, she focuses on reconnecting to today’s cultures through symbolism and critical thinking.
Vindel, the co-founder of the art collective Random Happiness and Food Design Nation, is active in co-creation projects, teaches at universities such as Elisava, IED and LCI, and has worked with Celler de Can Roca, FoodCultura and Tate Exchange, among others.

Idoia García de Cortázar

Master in “Social Function of Design” and Master in Innovation Strategies and Business Design Management: specialising in the humanisation of Gerontological Services and Centres in the context of the Silver Economy.

She is a lecturer and Director of Innovation Projects in different public and private universities (UB-Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Ramón Llull, IED, etc.)

She has directed various research projects in different areas of the Silver Economy: humanisation, innovation and quality measurement for public institutions (Salut, CSI.Consorci Sanitari Integral, ICS-Instituto Catalá de la Salut, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, etc.) and private institutions (Grupo Vitalia Home, Domus, etc.).

She is an expert in new models of care for older people and as such gives courses and conferences (SEAUS-Sociedad Española de Atención al Usuario de la Sanidad, Sociedad Española de Geriatría y Gerontología, Jornadas de Innovación del CSI, etc.).

She runs the company Humanizza, which specialises in consultancy oriented towards measuring the quality of services and products in the Silver Economy through innovation, Big Data and AI.

Mikel González (nacido en Bilbao en 1978) es el fundador, CEO y director creativo de Necsum Trison, un estudio especializado en la generación de experiencias a través de la tecnología. Este ingeniero electrónico, con varios masters en dirección de arte, diseño y EMBA, emprendió hace apenas 3 años, tras percibir un cambio global en la sociedad, en sus costumbres y en sus consumos. De una sociedad de consumo de bienes materiales, a una sociedad de adquisición de experiencias. <<Viajamos más, salimos más a cenar, a reunirnos con amigos, en definitiva, focalizamos más nuestro consumo en vivir experiencias que en adquirir bienes materiales>>. Apasionado por lo digital, entrelaza el diseño, la arquitectura, el arte y la tecnología como un nuevo paradigma en la generación de experiencias digitales, situando a las personas en el epicentro de la cadena de valor en todos los conceptos digitales que diseñan desde su estudio.

NECSUM TRISON

Necsum es un estudio de arte digital y entretenimiento especializado en la generación de experiencias mágicas a través de la tecnología. La firma vasca con sede en Erandio, mezcla innovación, tecnología, arquitectura, diseño, arte digital y animación en tres dimensiones, entre otras cosas. Desarrollan experiencias digitales de la A a la Z en más de 100 países, integrando tecnología en todo tipo de espacios, desde arquitectura a espectáculos, en museos, templos, parques naturales, monumentos e infinidad de espacios más. Este estudio está considerado uno de los 10 más creativos del mundo en su sector y prueba de ello son los 19 premios internacionales recibidos en ciudades como Los Angeles, Shanghai, Londres, Las Vegas o Amsterdam en apenas 3 años.