Background Info
Azores
Because of its dramatic natural beauty, the Azores was designated as UNESCO’s Global “Geoparks”, a network established to protect biodiversity, promote geological heritage and support sustainable economic growth. Sao Miguel, the largest island, includes Ponta Delgada which is the Azores largest city. It also includes historic towns, agrarian pastures, hedgerows of blue hydrangeas, lake-filled calderas, and cryptomeria forests. Multiple religious festivals have been a critical part of the daily life of the place and recently, several new international festivals have been established.
The geographic isolation of the islands and their mountainous terrain give rise to several endemic species and a wide variety of biotopes, ecosystems, and landscapes. In addition, the Island’s remoteness means that its inhabitants have learned to be relatively autonomous and self-reliant, depending mostly on available resources of the islands. Agriculture has been and still is the primary form of income. There are efforts underway to build on the sustainable development of traditional agricultural markets and modernize the forest sector through responsible forest management.
This year single use plastics, that pollute the ocean will be prohibited and designers are developing replacements that use waste from invasive species. The Azores is largely dependent on imported fuels including diesel and oil even though there is significant renewable energy potential (geothermal, wind and solar). Tourism is playing a larger role in the life of the Azores and pushing the economy. With it, local artists have successfully organized popular gatherings that draw an international contemporary arts scene, including Walk&Talk, Tremor, Burning Azores. Arts are used as a means to invigorate culture and open up new ways of connecting traditional and modern-day worlds.
Biofibers
Design with biofiber is experiencing renewed interest. Biofibers were for centuries, one of the primary materials used in the design of ordinary products and building components. With the introduction of plastics and other synthetic materials at the advent of the 20th century, the use of the natural materials declined. But thanks to a growing environmental consciousness and to new attitudes, traditional crafts are being reconsidered in innovative ways. In the Azores and Portugal, the traditional handicraft culture is still thriving. Artisans continue to create beautiful objects including woven baskets, hats and fiber dolls.
We will explore these traditions and then look at new approaches that use multiple techniques for a varied set of applications that range from bioplastic containers, algae based fabrics, grown mycelium bricks to 3d printed woven and compressed building components. Examples include work from Portuguese Design, RISD students work and the RISD Nature Lab workshops
University of the Azores, Innovation Green Azores project
This RISD studio will collaborate with engineering colleagues from the University of Azores who have been leading the Innovation Green Azores project
Innovative Green Azores was conceived as a solution to the problem of plastics at a global level, but also as a solution to the invasive Conteira plant that proliferates in the Azores archipelago. The project addresses two distinct environmental problems in the Archipelago, the accumulation of plastic packaging waste and the increasing threats to biodiversity of Azorean flora from the invasive conteira plant.
Researchers are developing marketable biodegradable products from the plant's fiber to replace disposable plastic objects. The biofiber of the container is a natural product, abundant and renewable, but not yet fully exploited. The project aims to value endogenous vegetable raw materials to develop innovative technology-based products that can replace those made of plastics. The approach is also more economical than traditional materials and therefore is seen as a viable alternative in the production of innovative products, in particular for the packaging sector.