The project Creative Residence in Ceramics and Vegetable Fibers aims to develop experiences that reinforce interculturality and the creation of new products based on natural resources, combining innovation and tradition, betting on the exchange of knowledge and techniques between Azorean and Cape Verdean artisans.
This regional initiative, developed in partnership with GRATER, exploited endogenous resources such as Santa Maria’s wicker, dragon tree leaf, bulrush, straw and clay, because it is essential to re-value local raw materials and its use in crafts. It may be unusual to merge two areas as different as pottery and vegetable fiber, but CRAA wanted to challenge artisans and guest mentors to innovate.
There were seven artisans who were part of this Residence. Aida Bairos, Cristina Bairos and Marina Mendonça from the Island of Santa Maria, Bento Silva from the Island of São Miguel, Aurelia Rocha and Manuela Medeiros from the Island of Terceira and Luís Lopes from the Island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. Thus, under the guidance of Kathi Stertzig and Álbio Nascimento through The Home Project Design Studio, jointly created pieces with enormous economic potential emerged using materials and techniques typical of the region using a renewed aesthetic.
