Open Cuba @ ISDI — paolocardini

Premise
Open design is part of the new design wave that set as center of debate the project sharing as key to speed up the innovation process and to enlarge the access to design products through a self-production mode. As part of my research on the topic Cuba is a very interesting place, suffice it to say that the government settled as 2011 strategic goal to migrate all of its computers to open-source software. Moreover the products embargo, which the island is still under, makes for them Open Design not a matter of choice. I’m very interested in understand how different environments can affect the open design birth and growth. Part of my investigation is based in Qatar where a society without economical problem and out of any commercial issue could embrace the open design philosophy exactly as they already did with Al Jazeera (great part of the Arab broadcaster’s footage are available on line for free). Well, Cuba, represent a very interesting place where creativity and ideas sharing are the focus, not in a way of new trend or as a design self celebration, but as a real and concrete socio-economical need. For all these reasons I decided to work with students in Havana part of ISDI-Istituto Superior de Diseno Industrial, the only design school in the country.

The workshop
The students worked on a new way to design products, no more designing from scratch but using free on-line materials. Nowadays different web sharing platforms allow the users to download every kind of file from images and videos to vectors, from blueprints to 3d files; furthermore every kind of instruction is available to understand how-to-do everything. New products will be born by upgrading, adapting, improving, copying and modifying that material. The last effort of the design process has been to design the instructions and the description of the process and, after joining a creative commons license, be ready to upload files and documentation letting others enjoy our experience, may be coping or improving it.

Results
During the workshop I has been really surprised from the quality of the students and the creativity they were able to express with few resources but high cultural level, methodological preparation and excellently drove by their teachers. Is not a case that one of the first dean of the Istituto Superior de Diseño Industrial was the German Friederich Saalborn, formed in Weimar, who adapted the German school model to the Caribbean one. The project has been various from flip-flops to shoe rack, from analogical app to 3d printed object downgrade. Let’s have a look to some of them:

This project is not exactly an open design project (just because hardly Rovio would left their birds fly freely in the open sky!). A romantic representation of Open Design, taking the essence of a product and, changing it and turning up side down everything of it, customize the object depending on local and personal needs and resources.
Original Idea: Rovio, Open designers: Osmany Rodriguez - Carla Oraa Calzadilla, source: App store

“We like this lamp, let’s do it. Some pencils and some connections printed in 3d”. “First problem: in Cuba we haven’t 3d printers”. “No problem let’s modify the object giving others the opportunity to have it, even without a digital printer!”. The student has been able so to design the same connection piece but, in spite of print it, they cut an old metal printing plate and here it is.
Original Idea: Michiel Cornelissen, Open designers: Raúl Barea - Leandro Luján - Liset Fajardo, source: Shapeways

Analyzing the Havana environment a couple of students recognized that everyday every Cuban dedicated to his favorite activity: waiting. Wait to be served, wait for phone, wait the bus, wait the elevator, wait the browser window opening. “A stool could be a good Idea.” A very beautiful and simple adaptation of one of the Autoprogettazione 2.0 Domus’ design contest winners. The students simply added a string and some holes to transform a static stool into a portable one.
Original Idea: Andreas Kowalewski, Open designers: Irislén Rego Cisnero - Elio A. Ramos Castillo, source: Domus Autoprogettazione 2.0