The Torino Civico13 studio designed with the Israeli designer Vered Zaykovsky a new type of berimbau, a musical instrument that accompanies the traditional Brazilian dance, the Capoeira. (Partner company: Co.Mo.R - Costruzioni Modelli e Resine)
D. Could you describe your project for Torino Geodesign?
R. (Civico13 and Vered Zaykovsky) We were invited by the masters of the Capoeira school to design an innovative berimbau.
The berimbau is the main traditional musical instrument that accompanies the rites of the Brazilian dance /fight.
We identified a series of physical and mechanical features whose performance we wanted to improve in some way. Our research and experimentation was conducted through a series of meetings with the association Multikulti and Co.Mo.R, modellers of Carignano, during which we tested various materials (carbon fibre, resin, fibreglass), had the prototype instrument played by percussionists and experts in the field, introduced a substantial innovation in tuning the instrument and understood that our version could never replace the original instrument - neither from the point of view of affinities of sound, nor from the symbolic standpoint - but become a parallel alternative, i.e. a Non-Traditional Berimbau.
D. What do you think of initiatives like this, where design abandons its more glamorous aspects to embrace ethically socially useful themes?
R. (Civico13) With Geodesign we had an experience under the standard of true sharing of ideas and experiences. This is the virtuous process that the competition managed to trigger. The collaboration between communities, designers and companies turned out to be an excellent starting point on which to graft the workshop. This was not an easy operation, where many and very different actors are present, but it is the only real way to ensure that the ideas do not remain on the drawing board but are put into practice, and perhaps produced.
R. (Vered Zaykovsky) In our opinion this is the real field of design. Sometimes it is forgotten that design started out to give a functional and aesthetic answer to mass-production, i.e to ordinary people and everyday needs. The shortcoming that emerged at the beginning of the industrial era that led to the search for technical solutions for everyday objects, tools and instruments that could improve the quality of life, today emerges on the human level: situations suffering from a shortage of ethics need to be confronted.
Collaborative capacities become more and more important, indispensable for the growth of society. In order to effect evolutionary change, common goals must be clarified, which are followed by collaborative inter-disciplinary relations. The collaboration between the community, the designer and the company functions when the willpower, experience, competency and determination of all parties are connected. Then great transformations can be made. A dynamic like this is a valuable gift for individuals and the city.
D. We are half-way through a special and important year for Torino. Can you give an interim judgement on what has been done so far? Proposals? Criticisms?
R. (Civico13) The feeling is that, as in many cases of initiatives run in Torino, there is a different perception of 2008 World Design Capital between those who live in the city and those who discover it for the first time. The inhabitants always tend to be a bit critical with respect to the communication of events (perhaps even too much) rather than to their content. From the outside, instead, it seems that the initiatives are perceived as extremely lively and positive. That's good: the variety of opinions fortifies and, one hopes, brings in-depth considerations that will have to be there in 2009 and afterwards, because one thing is certain: design and Torino go very well together!
www.civico13.it
www.veredzaykovsky.com
Interview with Arabeschi di Latte
link to:
Torino Geodesign
The mobilisation of collective intelligence. 48 projects for Torino
Info:
Torino Geodesign
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