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Article written for the "Norsk
Form bulletin" (Norwegian magazine on architecture and
design), #37, July 2002.
I'm standing outside the municipal building in Almolonga,
sweating with the strong morning sunlight in my eyes. I'm
trying to look interested, waiting for the mayor to finish
yet another thorough speech. We welcomes everybody and thanks
God, the general, the governor and Frederik Hansen. Thank
you. I'm next. I'm going to open a reforestation campaign
in the village were I work. I don't know anything about trees,
and even less about how to plant them; but still. When the
mayor asks you to open, you open. That is the fourth white
silk band I've cut since I arrived in Guatemala in the middle
of March.
The Project
The project aims to develop and improve the waste management
system in Almolonga, a small village in the western highlands
of Guatemala. This includes developing systems for domestic
collection, transport, separation and commercialisation
and recycling of the different waste fractions. In order to
succeed, it is essential to create a broad consciousness on
environmental issues in general, and as well as on the actual
project. The challenges, from an industrial design point of
view, consists primarily of the development of products for
collection and transport and eventually develop new products
based on recycled material.
My role
The project is carried out in collaboration with the Rafael
Landívar University in Guatemala City, where three
final year students are doing the project as their thesis.
My role in the project is to unify the student's work, assist
in the industrial design challenges and to integrate the process
and the results in the daily work in the village.
I have an office, that is, a chair, at the technical department
in the municipality. The technical division consists furthermore
of José and Pedro, two pleasant and reasonably skilled
engineers from the village.
The work in Almolonga proceeds often frustratingly slowly,
but securely ahead. We have performed several analysis and
surveys to obtain the necessary information for the following
constructive faces of the project. The people in the village
are enthusiastic and show great interest in the project, and
I still have a relatively optimistic view on being there as
an industrial designer.
Relations
The mayor and I have a good relationship, and in addition
to my daily work in the technical division, I'm used in representations
in the strangest contexts. I have, for example, opened two
new roads, represented the municipality in financial meetings,
in presentations and towards visitors from a number of organisation.
I have also been interpreter and messenger towards relations
in France and the US.
On his speech on the Norsk Form annual conference in January,
Oscar Arce, director of the industrial design department at
Landívar, claimed that industrial design in Guatemala
is more about communication and relations than form and function.
I had no idea he meant it that literally…
F-)
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