entrevista / INTERVIEW:
Brimet Silva & Ana Fonseca
Fundadores da DIGITALAB / DIGITALAB's founders
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ENTREVISTA / INTERVIEW
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How did DIGITALAB's idea come about?
The idea of creating an architecture and design studio arises in an unfavorable socio-economic context.
We were in 2012, in the midst of economic and social crisis. Ana was working in an architecture studio in Hamburg and I was teaching at an architecture university in Lisbon. It was in this panorama that we decided to create our studio in an eminent quest for creative and experimental freedom. The process was very natural, organic, an old desire that had already come from the times of the university in Coimbra and that we decided to materialize.
DIGITALAB is born of the need to experience new conceptual convergences, between the digital universe (more abstract) and the real world (concrete and tangible). More than creative manifesto, the main goal was to create an open framework, a heterogeneous laboratory where it was possible to explore the computational generative design associated with new materials and processes of digital, industrial and artisan manufacture. More than marking the aesthetic difference, our strategy was very focused on the creative process, matter, innovation, materiality, functionality, sustainability and in the link with the national and international industry, with a clear objective to improve the user experience. The design makes more sense when it is lived in its fullness.
DIGITALAB uses an innovative technique for the development of new design products. Can you tell us a bit about this method?
We like to communicate that we don’t create shapes, we create processes that generate multiple geometries and solutions - Form finding + Trial error. It is a conceptual strategy centered on algorithmic processes (programming / scripts) controlled by numerical variables (parameters)
In fact, it is a generative system that allows us to take advantage of formal principles of geometry, biology, biomimetic, mathematics and computing.
Has this technological innovation allied to design been well received by national companies? What has been the receptivity of change by companies? Or do they generally prefer to keep their traditional production methods?
DIGITALAB cooperates with more than seven national companies in several areas of industrial production, the feedback has been exceptional and very rewarding.
We are currently doing the international circuit of fairs and design events, and it is amazing to absorb feedback from people. The success comes from the challenge we have launched to companies. We are eternal provocateurs, project specialists we have never done.
However, innovation isn’t exclusively about design, it is crucial to take advantage of the properties of materials and optimize production processes. The strategy has to be transversal. The atmosphere of optimism and openness in the business world is undeniable, being more receptive to innovative projects. There is a whole new generation of industrialists who believe that innovation is the essential process for the renewal and affirmation of the products in the different markets, increasingly demanding and competitive. However, the Portuguese designer is still a little devalued and a greater appreciation for the whole group is crucial to avoid entropies.
It is imperative that we work together (creatives and industry) for a paradigm shift.