When design seems ridiculous...

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Hi, Emily! I don't know who told you the "purchasing the scavenged egg crates from poor individuals in Brazil" story about the Egg vase, but it is not true. I designed this piece and I never intended to turn it into a "green high design" as you, so well, described the attempt. The egg containers are collected through a campaign in my design studio in Brazil. People voluntarily handle them in with the only intention to recycle garbage, to give a longer use perspective to a piece of plastic that has already done its job. The idea is so simple that anyone can do it. I never protected the copyrights because the idea was to show people that recycling can be a creative, fun activity. So you don’t have to pay $15,00 for this piece. You can make your own. I sell the piece, but I can not control the price retailers practice. About the design being ridiculous, I respect your opinion. I think we just have a different concept of design and that’s ok. The Egg vase was thought to be what it is. A recycled egg container + 6 grommets witch allow it to be used as a vase. Not a fancy one, but a cute, simple one. Intervening in a notorious shape, transforming its use, is a great contemporary design exercise, in a time, I believe, we should look for new ways of reusing things instead of compulsively inventing new ones. About your suggestions on what kind of design we should focus on when it come to “helping” developing countries, the issues are more complex then water filters or egg container vases. For us, developing countries citizens, it is quite interesting to see how developed countries citizens see and judge our work. How they think we only have the right to design water filters or such. There are many water filters out there, the main issue is not to design one more, but how to bring them to whom actually need them. Or to teach poorly educated the importance of using one. So design itself is not going to save the world. Education and ethics are. At least, that’s what my experience as a Brazilian worker and citizen has thought me. I have only one employee, I should say that I probably needed four by now. But I chose to work 14 hours a day, instead of having cheap illegal help adding grommets to vases. My only employee’s name is Naiara, she is 22 and is a legal registered worker. She is fairly paid, has all her rights assured and has health care paid by my company. When she started working for me, she had dropped out of school, lived in a slum and after a year of encouragement and my commitment to give her free English and math classes, she is now a freshman at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (one of the best universities in the country), studding letters. The best universities here are supported by the government and very hard to get in and she never thought she could be able to have this kind of education. But she is. That’s the story behind the Egg vase and the girl who adds the grommets to the plastic box. This story was never told, because I think nobody should be congratulated for doing things the right way. Or nobody should be expose in their fragility to add more value to a product. I am not a saint for being correct or ethical, or for trying to disclose opportunities to the one next to me. I am telling you this story, because the one you published is not true. I know you were misled by somebody’s comment and I am sorry to be pictured as an opportunist exploring “poor individuals”. That’s not who I am, that’s not how I work. I know it sound so obvious, but doing things wrong is the real cancer in developing countries. Misery is just a consequence of that. Being “green”, Emily, for me, is taking the emediate responsibility. Taking the opportunity to help in a committed way. As a Brazilian, I can assure you that we don’t need a new water filter. They would get stuck in a corruption chain before reaching their destinies. We need to educate people of all social backgrounds with the belief that ethics is the solution, doesn’t matter if you are the president, a water filter designer, an egg vase designer or a journalist. I just wanted to unfold the story and let you know that you were misled, maybe not intentionally, by someone. Maybe he or she just imagined the most likely story to be true, or a first world fantasy on how things are done down here. I respect your work very much. I can see your are true concerned. That’s why I bothered to stop by and set things straight. In this “green” obsessed market it is important to be careful and cautious before swallowing any backstory, I understand that and support the attitude. But it is very important not to judge designers intention before checking it better. I don’t mind having my designs criticized, but having my intention and work ethics doubted and described in a twisted way is not something to let go without and explanation. I am sure you can understand that and I appreciate your time. If you ever have any question about my work or how it’s done, please, contact me directly. I’ll be more than happy to talk to you. Best regards, Patricia patricia@oiti.com.br www.oiti.com.br