Manel Cruz is a Portuguese singer who utilizes everyday objects to create music. A product designer with a keen interest in music and a "maker" accepted the challenge of designing and building a non-conventional sound object or musical instrument to be used by Manel Cruz for studio recording and live performances.
All the necessary instruments for the project were constructed at Viva Lab, thus playing a significant role in this endeavor. Throughout the project, various unconventional techniques and materials were employed in the construction of musical instruments. Prototypes and various models were presented to Manel Cruz for evaluation based on their versatility, user experience, and other parameters contributing to the instrument's quality.
The development of this project is divided into two parts: the first arises from a "box orchestra" approach suggested by Manel Cruz. The second approach results in an evolution of the first, where previously tested materials, textures, and mechanisms are utilized, and the concept of the piece is redefined.
Precious Plastic provides tools that facilitate the sharing of knowledge about basic concepts for plastic reuse, such as identifying plastic types, their properties, and how to proceed with their reuse. Here at VivaLab, we not only develop "physical" tools for processing polymers but also offer a series of business models available for free on our website. Due to the "Open Source" philosophy and the growing problem of plastic excess on our planet, we collaborated and shared knowledge with the Precious Plastic team, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and exchanged knowledge among the team present in our space.
The introduction of Precious Plastic to Manel Cruz was made, and the musician identified potential in this concept, which aims to reuse materials so common in our daily lives and yet undervalued.
The Dutch Design Week 2019 sparked interest from these artists and is a project that has been growing due to the need to reduce polymer consumption and its reuse capacity. In October 2019, through VivaLab, an invitation was extended by the Precious Plastic community to visit the Dutch Design Week in the Netherlands. The DDW annually showcases the work of over 2,600 designers, attracting more than 350,000 visitors from around the world, making it the largest design event in the North. During this visit, they interacted with a significant portion of the Precious Plastic team present in the Netherlands, where various Open Source versions of their tools were developed. In addition to exhibiting products produced through their tools, they were able to preview the fourth version of the "Precious Plastic" machines.
It was an interesting project to develop at VivaLab and of utmost importance. Together, we acquired knowledge to put into practice in the future, once again emphasizing the importance of plastic and giving it a new life.
Thesis related to the project
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