FÊTE OLD SKILLS. NEW DIRECTIONS. NEW FORMS.
Jessica Jean-Baptiste Capstone Spring 2018 Parsons School of Design Len Mayer
Introduction
Expert Interviews
Craft Research
Design Inspiration
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Collaborative Process
Production Process
Final Product
Credits
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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70% unemployment H ait i is a vibrant island nation full of resources. H o w e v e r, t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r s , H a i t i h a s b e e n heavily damaged by natural disasters, depleted of its resources, and economically oppressed with 7 0 % of the population unemployed and 60% living below the pover t y line. As a result, Haiti is in need of a lot of assistance for its redevelopment.
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INTRODUCTION
400,000 artisans Despite all those obstacles Haiti is rich in culture, values, beliefs,and skilled ar tisans. It is estimated that there are approximately 400,000 ar tisans that rely on the sale of handicraf ts as either a primar y or secondar y source of income.It is the highest sector o f e m p l o y m e n t i n H a i t i ’ s e c o n o m y, b u t v e r y f e w h a v e a c c e s s t o t h e W e s t e r n m a r ke t
INTRODUCTION
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Celebrating Haiti’s rich culture, Fete is a tabletop collection consisting of eating, drinking and storage vessels that combine ceramic and horn. It is inspired by Vodou, a religion which emphasizes healing, balance, and harmony. Fete is made by collaborating with artisans to elevate Haitian communities, create jobs, and open new expor t markets for their creations.
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INTRODUCTION
Expert Interviews
EXPERT INTERVIEWS
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Patty Johnson Patty Johnson Designs
Paula Coles Co - Founder of Dot Haiti Kevin Salyers EVP of sales at Urban Zen
“Mark of the hand and the celebration of the artisan is the goal.” “Showcase diverstity in a variety of crafts to the external market.”
Alison Mears Director of Healthy Materials Lab
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EXPERT INTERVIEWS
Laura Sansone Parsons Faculty
“Try to create new kinds of meaning for raw materials with a new context.”
Patty Johnson Patty Johnson Designs
How did you start the Vodunuvo project? Government agencies approached designer Worked with Brand-Trade (Canadian company) What was the goal? Creating products in developing countries Showcasing diverstity in a variety of crafts Haiti is “One of the best places I’ve ever worked.” “Craft tradition well established.” Why did you choose vodou as your source of inspiration? Vodou is misunderstood “Using something that had been twisted and turning it on its head and use it for its artistic expression.” “Transformative” What advice would you give me? Try to create new kinds of meaning for raw materials with a new context.
EXPERT INTERVIEWS
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Paula Coles Co - Founder of DOT Haiti
“The most important is to train workers to skills.”
What is the scale with which products inside of Dot are made? The scale of production is very small. What more do you feel could be done to improve the scale and quality of production? To improve the scale the most important is to train workers to skills/ equipments and integrate machinery or tools to improve productivity ( i.e.: training specific to handbag in textile and /leather, installation of a pug mill for clay production, training on glazing for ceramic ,on potter wheel,….) How are raw goods transported and final products exported to the global market? Working with outside communities like hat weaver in the south, the most difficult part is the logistic, it takes time to develop as it is far and they don’t come often to port-au-prince when we need to send material or them to send us samples, also it should takes someone to follow-up on technical and quality control that we don’t have, then the order is sent back by local bus coming to the capital once a week ( not reliable cause any weather conditions, roads or technical issues can delay the transport). When final product arrive at DOT we do a quality control and organize packing, shipping and handling to to customers and pay artisans. Do the artisans work inside of Dot or in various parts of Haiti? The artisans work mostly outside of DOT in various part of Haiti but some do work in house when needed like beaders. We travel to them and they travel to us.
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EXPERT INTERVIEWS
“There’s so much potential there but it’s all about harnessing the talent.”
Kevin Salyers EVP of sales at Urban Zen
How did Urban Zen become involved with working in Haiti? We started working in Haiti after the Earthquake. From there we began to try to figure out a way that was going to be beneficial for the artisan by helping them up their sophistication of their product design and the quality of it. Our initial goal was to create a line of product with multiple artisans that we could then showcase within the Urban Zen environment, and our website to help showcase the talent and creativity that is there. The large goal would be to give them as much production order as possible, the challenge currently is that we are a small group of stores, so we only have so much appetite for sales. There’s never been a lack of creativity, but the issue has always been the lack of resources on the ground, and that’s how the D.O.T organization and training came to be. The challenge has been consistency, because there’s a lag time. The artisans need assurance to be able to trust that you’re going to come back and follow through, and that they’re going to continue to have orders coming in to be able to maintain their livelihoods and source of income. One thing is to have a great idea that has a story and a reason for being in such a crowded space, and showcase what makes it unique and really different. People have a desire to feel supported in their purchase. There’s so much potential there but its all about harnessing the talent. The artisans that have talent don’t always have the resources to make work For tabletop goods it’s important for the price point to be accessible. The layers of process- what is it costing to manufacture?.. The materials ideally should be local for better authenticity. Products that are authentically Haiti are more meaningful that way. EXPERT INTERVIEWS
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Craft Research
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CRAFT RESEARCH
These are a few of the craft communities working in Haiti. Leather Horn Beadwork jewelry Metal Weaving
CRAFT RESEARCH
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These products emphasize local materials and processes, but they don’t have a strong enough sense of identity or place. How can I create products that speak authentically to Haiti’s culture?
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PRECEDENTS
Design Inspiration
DESIGN INSPIRATION
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“Vodou is the soul of the Haitian people.”
“Voudou emphasizes healing, it emphasizes creating balance and harmony in the world.” Mambo Dowoti Desir
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DESIGN INSPIRATION
Vodou is an important religion that is practiced all throughout Haiti but is misunderstood and twisted in the West.
Artifacts found on a Vodou Altar. Libation bottles for liquor Packet Kongo (medicine packets) Govi (Jars) Offering vessels
DESIGN INSPIRATION
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These female spirits represents an aspect of womanhood and are highly respected.
Erzulie Dantor Lwa of Love
Ayizan Lwa of Commerce
La Sirene Lwa of Wealth
Ayida Wedo Lwa of Fertility
“We want to defend our culture and traditions.� Mambo Rolanda Delerme
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DESIGN INSPIRATION
Vodou is one of the only religions where women are equal to men. Mambo (female priestesses) hold a lot of power in this patriarchal society.
Vodou Veve Symbol
The first line of Fete is inspired by the female Lwa Ayizan. Haitian spririts (Lwa) are the spirits which are served in Haitian Vodou. They act as intermediaries between humans and Bondye (God).
The Lwa
Rada Lwa
Petro Lwa
Gede Lwa
The white group known as the Rada are the first to be greeted.
Known for their aggressive and explosive personalities.
The Gede are the Spirits of death, and are the last to come down at the end of the ceremony.
DESIGN INSPIRATION
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Collaborative Process
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COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Old Skills BOSS ANDRE
HORN ARTISAN “Once we see it, we can make it.” “I do believe that I will be doing this for the rest of my life because it’s a craft I really love.”
Andre Paul Lefond Location- Haiti Port au Prince Material- Cattle horn Supplier- Slaughterhouse
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
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COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Horn: Heated- Flattened- Reheated- Molded- Polished- Sealed Equipment: Cast Iron press- Handsaw- Belt Sander
New Directions “Ceramic has the biggest potential.Bigger than leather, or textiles.” “The root handicraft from Haiti is ceramic. The new phase for D.O.T will be a training center for ceramic that will take people from everywhere in the country, so they can go back and do ceramic in the coutryside.It is a huge market. You can go from tableware, to art , and even jewelry. Paula Coles Location- Haiti Port au Prince DOT Haiti organization
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
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HORN
New Forms CERAMIC
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COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Fete is a collaborative tableware set. The horn caps were designed and made in Haiti. They were then shipped to the U.S where the clay bodies were made by me.
Design Process
Intro
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IDEATION
IDEATION
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MODEL MAKING
Hand coiling and veve stamp patterning
FIRST PROTOTYPE Changes were made to tighten up the forms and bring in elements of beadwork and color from Vodou artifacts.
FIRST PROTOTYPE
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MODEL REFINEMENT
Integration of horn caps and beadwork patterning
GLAZE TESTING
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Production Process
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PRODUCTION PROCESS
Cup
Medium Bowl
Small Plate
Large plate
TECHNICAL DRAWING
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Small bowl
Small jar
Medium jar
Large jar
TECHNICAL DRAWING
Small bottle
Medium bottle
Large bottle
S/P shaker
TECHNICAL DRAWING
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Designer
Jessica Jean-Baptiste
People
Products
Training
Markets
Artisan
Organization
NEW COMBINATION OF MATERIALS
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Andre Paul Lefond
Horn artisan
Final Product
Heated horn
Wood supplier
Charcoal
Paula Coles
Horn Supplier
Raw Horn
Clay supplier
Clay Artisan
Raw clay
Clay vessel
Wood Supplier
Charcoal
Final Product
NEW PRODUCT
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NETWORK DIAGRAM
Fete will eventually be made entirely in Haiti, in collaboration with horn artisan Andre, and potters from DOT Haiti.
Design and Development
Supplier
End of Life
Customers
Shipping
Stores
Artisans
FETE Packaging and assembly
Retail operation
Transport
Transport Warehouse
PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
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Planet The clay is sourced locally from natural deposits in Haiti’s central plateau. The cattle horn is a byproduct of the meat industry.
Sustainable People The making of Fete supports artisan communities by providing new skills and jobs that helps to promote artisan communities and local craft.
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TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
Economic development that supports artisans and the economy by promoting the use of local materials such as clay and horn.
Profit New goods are sold to the US and other global markets.
Final Product
Intro
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Dimensions Small jar 3d x 4 h Medium jar 3.5 d x 4.75 h Large jar 3.24 d x 5.5 h
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FINAL
GOVI
BOUTEILLE
Dimensions Small bottle 1.75d x 8.5 h Medium bottle 1.75 d x 9.5 h Large bottle 1.75d x 13.25 h FINAL
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Dimensions Small plate 7.5d x 1.25 h Large plate 10 d x 1.25 h Bowl 3.4 d x 2.5 h Cup 3d x 4 h S/P shaker 1.2d 2.4h
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FINAL
KONGO TABLEWARE SET
CHANDEL DETANTE
Dimensions Small candle holder 1.25d x 2 h Large candle holder 4.2 d x 2 h FINAL
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FINAL
FINAL
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FINAL
Many thanks to everyone who helped me throughout the course of this project. This is only the beginning. Len Mayer Andre Lefond Paula Coles Jono Pandolfi Kevin Salyers Patty Johnson Dowoti Desir Alison Mears Cynthia Lawson Christopher Saucedo AND ALL MY PEERS!
CREDITS
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SOURCES https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/haitian-diaspora-spreading-the-gospel-of-voodoo/article4327066/ http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/13/62/00024/Megan%20Raitano%20essay%201.pdf https://globalconnections.champlain.edu/2014/12/01/depictions-of-women-and-femininity-in-vodou/ https://www.thoughtco.com/vodou-veves-4123236 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/07/vodou-haiti-endangered-faith-soul-of-haitian-people http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/nyregion/10voodoo.html?WT.mc_id=VI-SM-E-YT-SM-VID-BVV-041511-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev= click&smid=yt-nytimes https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/26/vodou-exhibit_n_6044300.html?utm_hp_ref=religion https://glitternight.com/2014/08/13/the-top-eleven-deities-in-voodoo-mythology/
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SOURCES