Isaac Piñeiro

Interviews

Interview - Isaac Piñeiro

How do you describe your creative/reflective design process?

The main objective of the studio is to create intuitive products based on a search for efficiency in conception, production and design. I understand the profession as a craft and diagonal discipline where collaboration, dialogue and co-creation mark the project idea. Working under the idea of strategic design. In which not only aesthetics is thought, but also production systems around the socio-productive capacities, so that the designs adopt comprehensible dimensions for durability and the good passage of time.

What would you highlight about the craftsmanship?

The imprint left by the objects and the relationship that is established with them because of the story they can tell us. You can have a collection of ceramic or wooden objects, and despite having been manufactured with identical processes, each one is different from the other for several reasons. From the raw material that is defined by the environment where it has been obtained, by the colors of the earth, to the hands that have shaped it or how it ages with the passage of time. It is like a very interesting maturation process. We all have a face, eyes, nose, but the look of each person is different and that also happens with each handcrafted object, even if it has been made by the same hands.

What aspects and characteristics would you highlight about working with a material like ceramics?

The versatility and the possibilities it offers when it comes to trying different results, it gives a creative freedom superior to other materials and processes. And at the same time it is surprising because there is this “controlled” surprise factor that is part of its beauty. I would also highlight the uniqueness that the material brings depending on the origin of the terrain. Two identical pieces can be very different depending on the origin, the components of the clay and the pigments.

 

“Design starts by observing the environment”.

 

Do you think craftsmanship contributes to a better world because….

It slows down processes and helps to reflect on a simpler, more elegant and closer way of life.

What inspires you when designing and creating?

Many things. Materials, shapes, literary or artistic references, people’s behavior, their relationship with objects and the environment. Watching craftsmen at work, production processes, films… inspiration can come from anywhere, although I prefer to say that it is often a sought or crossed encounter.

Where does the idea of the product Totana come from?

From the geographical environment where the factory is located, hence its name. From observing the artisans and how they manipulate the material and the colors. From the conversations with Miguel and Luis, about any topic that could lead us to the product we were looking for. It was a lot of work but it was a very pleasant shared path. 

In more objective terms, the idea is to wrap the light with the material, and let it flow through the intersection of shapes that define the lamp. It was very inspiring to observe the light in the environment, the way it was filtering into the workshops and the play of light and shadows they made. Going back to the previous question, inspiration can be found in many places.

What is the message/intention of the piece?

To offer a welcoming illumination, to highlight the manual work, the simple and identifiable shapes to enjoy the details offered by the material. I designed the piece as a whole where each element has its reason and its function, without surplus or lack of anything.

What were the challenges you faced during the process?

To combine the manufactured work with the implementation of more technological elements and for the whole to be harmonious. The relationship established with the light and the material to achieve a pleasant sensation.

What value do you think it brings to brands/companies (hotels, restaurants, architects, interior designers)to be able to work with objects and products made from a design with a great artisanal value?

Working locally and internalizing these processes with the company so that this value is intrinsic and not added. This value, in my opinion, provides an identity that is very difficult to supplant with other processes. If communication and development are coherent, they give the products and the brand’s catalog a name of their own. And that makes each space different, even if recent trends have resulted in the opposite, I think it is an important responsibility to make each place unique.

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