Artecnica's Design With Conscience line of products combines high design with social and environmental responsibility by way of collaborative exchanges between Artecnica, designers and artisans in developing countries. Creating products with positive impact for everyone involved is the goal. Projects have taken place in Vietnam, South Africa, Peru, Brazil and Guatemala, where TranSglass products designed by Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden have been produced by local craftspeople. The latest TranSglass items are two mirrors that were inspired by traditional Guatemalan masks. We put a couple of questions to Tord and Emma.

We are used to seeing plain mirrors, at most with a frame. How did you come about the idea of three-dimensional mosaics?
The idea came from the traditional Guatemalan wooden masks. This is such a strong tradition in their culture that it seemed nice to combine this with our design. In the time that we have worked with the workshop in Guatemala City, we realised that they have become extremely good in cutting and polishing the Transglass bottle range. Our idea was to create new products that they can manufacture with the existing skills and machinery (cold working of glass). We started the idea with using sheet mirror as a basic material, this is readily available and cheap. We always have admired Venetian mirrors and with this collection aim to begin something new that kind of comes from the tradition of the ornate mirror but with the 21 Century interpretation. By using the masks as a starting point, it becomes a product that the artisans can relate to within their own culture, at the same time it becomes something relevant and innovative in western society. The mirrors are extremely difficult to make because all facets need to be cut to size and angle. Therefore it builds upon the experience of the artisans of making the transglass bottle pieces and at the same time it becomes a product that is very hard to copy. Although the pieces are very labor intensive, and therefore command a high price, we believe that it is good that the people in the workshop can elaborate on their skills by making beautiful pieces of high quality, instead of being reduced (as so many workers in the developing world are) to competing on price and quantity.

Both the Dog Mask and Star shapes are somewhat similar in size and form, in terms of points and angles. Was this intentional? Were there restrictions on what you were trying to do?
There were no restrictions at all but many opportunities. The main opportunity was to develop the already high skills of the workshop to an even higher level. With these first 2 pieces we tried to design something that is achievable in the making. If we start with something too complicated we would scare the guys off too much from attempting to develop these pieces. By starting with something that is challenging but achievable, we make a start into a new skill set. If all will go well, these 2 pieces will be followed by new designs that are even more complicated.


Both of you are from Northern European backgrounds - how does your design approach differ from that of the Guatemalan artisans who worked on this Design with Conscience project? What cultural differences could be seen in the work and its production?
We try to relate somehow to a traditional, local culture and at the same time produce something that has an appeal in the western world, which is our main market for selling these pieces. The Design With Conscience program works very much on a profit basis. Everybody involved in the process (manufacturer, designer, producer, retailer) needs to make a profit and therefore the program becomes sustainable and successful as long term development. If the existing traditional ethnic products would already sell so well in the western world, we would not need to try and do projects like this. The basis is really to develop the local skill with a product and approach that is commercial outside the local economical zone. Therefore we can use our experience as western designers, who have experience of creating commercially successful products, in combination with a new, conscientious way of manufacturing interesting, durable products.