Tati Guimarães
Founder, Concept Developer & Creative Director at Ciclus Ecoinnovative Design
Tati was born in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on April 19, 1976. She studied graphic and product design at the PUC University in Rio de Janeiro. In 1998 she came to Spain and worked in Barcelona as graphic designer and art director in studios and advertising agencies. Furthermore she took courses in materials science at Escola Massana, studied jewelry at “El Taller”, and never stopped making objects with discarded materials by believing in a more sustainable and human world. There lies her interest in eco-design and since a couple of years she doesn’t get tired of researching, studying and experience it.
14 questions for Tati
This is important for me:
I’m connected with what moves me.
I don’t like:
Hypocrisy
I’m proud of:
My life
I wish:
To travel more
I’m reading:
“Cooking, a natural history of transformation”, Michael Pollan
My favourite music:
Agnes Obel, takes me to another dimension!
My favourite movie:
“Lovers of the Arctic Circle”, Julio Medem
My www advice:
Let yourself go and follow your instinct.
A good designwork:
I really admire the projects of Glithero (www.glithero.com), a very conceptual and sensitive design studio, formed by a couple of designers from England and Holland who design inspired by the processes.
My favourite destination:
Asia
Something for the desert island:
With an island I already have everything!
My motto:
Live 100% at every moment of your life.
What is your main reason for making products of upcycling products?
At first there was no intention in this sense, because when I started there was no word / concept upcycling / recycling (1998). Naturally I saw that there were many attractive materials wasted and this inspired me. I really like to go beyond upcycling and design new product concepts that interact with the user and encourage them to be creative. I also look for that each design needs the minimum of materials, resources and productive processes, and generate the maximum of functionality and sensations. That is to say: that they have the minimum environmental impact and the maximum sensorial impact. This is what motivates me most.
Can upcycling improve the world?
I think it’s a point, but it’s not all. Not always a UPCYCLING product is respectful with the environment. Because they can be made with adhesives and blends of toxic materials and sometimes can not be recycled if they lose their life. So it is not always that an upcycling design is sustainable. What can improve the world is to be more aware of how we act on a general level. A good design, before everything and in my opinion, must be attractive, functional and respectful-conscious-sustainable. I see that the future (or even present) is in design taking into account these three pillars. And, when I mention respectful design, it basically means designing using minimal materials, processes and natural resources. That is, REDUCING is more important (and comes before) than REUSE. And if we can do both, then just great!
Thank you for the interview!
Discover more about Tati here
