Icsid Reg Report Latin America Feb09

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

1

Regional Report: Latin America – February 2009 Carlos Hinrichsen School of Design DuocUC SCENARIOS FOR THE REGION: PROMOTIONAL TRENDS AND DESIGN ACTIVITIES This report highlights important activities and initiatives that are underway in the region, and provides accounts from different corners of Latin America, representing different approaches on how the design industry and the market is gradually developing in this part of the world. To provide an interesting contrast, the report focuses on Costa Rica – one of the smallest countries in the region – and Brazil – the largest country in the region. Also covered in this report is the First Ibero-American Design Biennale, which took place Madrid, Spain, in 2008. The biennale promises to cultivate a new design scene, with a view to gradually defining a new region – the Ibero-American design region. 1. ACTIVITIES IN COSTA RICA One of the goals of the National Development Plan for the present administration (2006-2010) of the Ministry of Culture of Costa Rica is to support artistic and cultural SMEs. Preceding this goal, the ministry implemented various pilot projects last year with the intention of strengthening the SMEs in the design sector and understanding the importance of this sector in relation to the country’s economy. In parallel to this goal, the ministry created a program entitled Incentives to Innovate with Design – legally under the authority of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design – with the intention of building support for the design sector for years to come. This program is currently under development and by the end of this year (2009) the intention is to consolidate it. This year, the program is instigating collective agreements with other governmental institutions and private entities. By securing agreements, the program will establish a network of collective collaboration of governmental and private support for the design sector. For example, the first agreement that is currently being legally structured is between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economy. Other important agreements being developed are with the Ministry of Commerce and Exports and with different private and public design universities. Simultaneously, the program has set out to implement various activities to be accomplished this year to support the design sector. These activities include: a responsible design exhibition; various business and responsible design workshops with SMEs of design; a design fair; and a formal study focused on the economic impact of SMEs on the economy. The main communication tool between the program and the design sector will be a web page (to be launched in mid-March at http://mercadocr.com/iidiseno2).The program is also currently applying for membership in Icsid since membership will enable the Costa Rica design sector to effectively exchange with the international design community. Working simultaneously on these activities and structuring the program has proven positive in accomplishing the ministry’s goal for the National Development Plan; the design sector has also played an important role in structuring a program that will be of support for years to come. The first task in 2008 was to create the designers’ directory of Costa Rica, the results of which are available online at http://www.directoriodedisenadores.go.cr. For news on this initiative, as published on January 12th, 2009 in the most important newspaper in the country: http://www.elfinancierocr.com/ef_archivo/2009/enero/18/estilos1829648.html

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

2

Current Situation in Costa Rica Figure 1

Figure 2

For further information, please contact: Giorgiana Penon, Costa Rica. Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

3

2. RIO: THE BRAZILIAN DESIGN GENESIS Following the local tradition of master pioneers of Brazilian design like Sérgio Rodrigues, Joaquim Tenreiro and Aloísio Magalhães, it was decided to establish in the former State of Guanabara, in 1962, the first undergraduate design course in South America at the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial (Superior School of Industrial Design), known as ESDI, which was subsequently incorporated into the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) as part of the amalgamation of the old State of Guanabara and the State of Rio de Janeiro in 1975. According to the journalist Zuenir Ventura in a chronicle published in 2000: "Conceived and founded when the country was boiling in all creative fields, the ESDI meant to our design what the Bossa Nova meant to music; what Cinema Novo meant for the film industry, the Arena (an avant-garde theater experience from the Sixties) for the theatre, and Brasilia to architecture. It was a founding moment when the world was discovering a new Brazil – of Glauber Rocha, Oscar Niemeyer, Tom Jobim, Pelé – and Brazil was realizing that it had something to teach the world. In part, ESDI gave us rule and bar, created a mentality, and launched what is the basis of design: the project. " Today the city of Rio de Janeiro has a total of 10 public and private schools offering design courses and will soon also include the Istituto Europeo de Design. Besides establishing the first undergraduate course, it was in Rio in 1994 that the first Masters in Design course (ESDI has today the second) was founded and subsequently the first – and only – PhD program in design of Brazil; both of these courses are available at the Catholic University (PUC). There are four design business incubators and also the well-equipped Design and Human Factors Labs from the National Institute of Technology (INT), where the Rio Design Center also operates (a center for design promotion). The design schools from Rio develop research projects for companies like Motorola, Nokia, Microsoft, Yahoo, Embraer, General Motors, and Renault. In 2007 the Rio Is Design program and the Design Advisory Council at the State Secretary of Economical Development (SEDEIS) were created and today they share the role of planning and executing public policies of design. Keeping up it’s leadership in education, in 2005 ESDI received the most important award in the world, the IF Gold, which had never before been awarded to any design school despite 55 years of existence. In 2006 ESDI was invited to take part at the Salone Satellite of the Milano Fair and in 2007 ESDI got the highest score at ENADE (a national benchmark exam of the Ministry of Education) and was considered the best design school in Brazil by the Student Guide of April publishing house; it was also listed by Business Week magazine as one of the forty best and most innovative design schools in the world. There isn’t an updated census, but estimates consider that there are around 450 design studios operating in Rio de Janeiro. Most of these studios are small companies, but there are some larger studios, with growing portfolios of clients abroad. The recognition of the quality of design produced by these companies is reflected in the number of major international awards achieved (i.e., IF, Idea, Red Dot). Nokia recently chose Rio for the installation of its first design studio in Latin America. This significant move was recognized by APEX (the Brazilian agency that promotes trade and export) and the SEDEIS, who has also managed to bring to Rio the first edition of Brazil Design Week, a trade fair sponsored by the Brazilian Association of Design Companies (Abedesign) that took place in the Museum of Modern Art in September 2008.

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

4

Brazil Design Week comprises seminars, workshops, forums, debates, exhibitions, with international guests, and the presentation of successful national and international case studies. Moreover, the SEDEIS and Design Advisory Council staged a parallel event entitled Rio+Design, which involved retailers, schools and design offices with specially scheduled events. A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DESIGN IN RIO DE JANEIRO All the activities and the achievements reported above confirm that, just as with the music, film, fashion and architecture, design produced in Rio has today reached an international standard and achieved international recognition. Some actions are beginning to take shape, as in the case of Rio+Design. This event is growing from a secondary event in 2008 to the main stage in 2009, with the planning of many activities to involve the city in design – at least three international exhibitions plus other local shows, design competitions, workshops, seminars, and many other small exhibitions and events spread all around the city and linked to the celebration of the year of France in Brazil. Fostered by the international forum of design policies that took place during Brazil Design Week, an organization named the Forum Brazil Design was born in Rio last November, aiming to congregate all the design associations and promotional centers in Brazil, and it seems it will achieve its goals. Next April Rio will be presenting to the world its Carioca Design (“carioca” is how the citizens of Rio are known) at the Milan furniture fair, in a well-located venue near the Duomo. Many coordinated efforts are pulling together in this direction and many other exciting plans are being born and carefully nurtured by the state government, through its Design Advisory Council, together with the new city mayor’s office. Considering its natural resources and its achievements, Rio is indeed a “Design City” and has the history and potential to be the great innovation-generating matrix of Brazil in the 21st century and the capital of the Brazilian creative industry. Links to the issues mentioned above:

- http://www.esdi.uerj.br/imprensa - http://www.centrodesignrio.com.br - http://www.riomaisdesign.com.br - http://designpolicies.blogspot.com - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g-029WSTq8 (Design Carioca: 5 Views)

Further information and contact:: Gabriel Patrocinio, Brazil. Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

5

3. FIRST IBERO-AMERICAN BIENNIAL OF DESIGN AND NEW REGIONAL DESIGN LANDSCAPE This biennial has established a new platform for Ibero-American design and in 2008 succeeded in showcasing the existing design industry in this region and the market’s development. Between 24th November and 4th December 2008, the 1st Ibero-American Design Biennial carried out a series of activities including sample exhibits, round tables, seminars, etc., thus becoming the first meeting point for Ibero-American design practitioners, producers and managers. Discussions centered on the current state of the design industry, new trends, the role of cultural tradition and the connections with a market that is increasingly paying more attention to production in this region. To date 17,000 people visited the BID and a space online has been made available for people worldwide to visit and learn about this initiative. Reputable designers and young talents from various design sectors (space or interior design, industrial or product design, graphic design, fashion and textile design and digital design) were able to bring forth new ideas for a constantly evolving world. This is why the BID was not conceived as a gathering for designers alone but for society as a whole. The BID aims to publicise and foster the most representative, outstanding and avant-garde design proposals in Ibero-America. Also, this first edition showed a sample of work completed by students from nearly 30 Ibero-American design training schools. The BID 08 exhibition displayed work, in different categories, created by both well-established and emerging designers from all Ibero-American countries in the last 20 years. The exhibition comprised 316 projects in total from 250+ participants. This first BID exhibition has highlighted new design trends such as concern for the environment, tradition and cultural identity. The Ibero-American Design Biennial will be held every two years in Madrid at the Matadero Madrid Central de Diseño, and aims to become the most significant event for contemporary Ibero-American design, where approaches, creativity and productions from Latin America, Spain and Portugal will be brought together. In summary, the 2008 exhibition has been a milestone event and a meeting point for the Ibero-American design community, which represents 22 countries and more than 600,000,000 people.

Regional Report – Latin America (February 2009)

6

General view of the exhibition

At the next two links you can get more information about this initiative:

- http://www.icsid.org/news/year/2008_news/articles690.htm - http://www.bid-dimad.org/

Further information and contact: Gloria Escribano, Spain Email: [email protected]