Grana vs La Máquina
Grana vs La Máquina [Cochineal vs The Machine] was an academic project initiated by the School of Architecture, Art and Design at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City, in collaboration with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. Taking as inspiration the upcoming Cooper Hewitt exhibition Nature by Design: Cochineal, this project sought to generate a critical response around the relationship between design and Mexican culture by making objects using cochineal and digital manufacturing. Led by José de la O (delaO design studio) with the collaboration of Christina De León, Associate Curator of Latino Design at Cooper Hewitt, the project was carried out at two Tec Monterrey campuses in the Mexico City region (CEM and CCM) with industrial design students in their senior year.
Cooper Hewitt’s forthcoming show Nature by Design: Cochineal will explore the legacy of cochineal and its innovative use among contemporary designers. Cochineal, a small parasitic insect, was for centuries the source of a red dye that held economic and cultural importance to indigenous peoples of Mexico. Upon European contact in the sixteenth century, it became a widely traded global commodity until the invention of synthetic dyes in the mid-nineteenth century, which caused its profit value to diminish significantly. With this context in mind, students were given the design challenge to fabricate a digital manufacturing machine using cochineal as the primary material to produce objects that would stimulate discussion or criticism on Mexican culture.
The students used critical design research methodologies to generate questions on socio-cultural issues such as national identity, craftsmanship, economy, and mysticism. Critical or speculative design is a discipline that uses design tools as a way to understand and address complex societal problems. With the collaboration of De León, students were able to obtain feedback on their narrative and concept development, fabrication techniques, as well as their innovative use of cochineal.
For more information visit the project page.
Academic Platform: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
Concept and Creative Direction: José de la O
Product Design & Production: Carlos Eduardo Ordoñez García and Josue Prieto Díaz, Nicole Eguiza y Sara Lopez, Adriana Gutiérrez, Carla Velázquez, Stephania Hernández and Lucas Madrigal, Ana Sofía García, Daniel Barranco, Ma Fer Nuñez & Max de la Barrera, Mariana Derrant, Cinthya Chavez, Andrea Marquez and Allan Garcia & Brian Monroy Melosevich.
Mentoring: José de la O & Christina de Leon (Cooper Hewitt).