THE GUYANA PROJECT: Students Turn South American Rainforest into Design Studio!

It’s not everyday that you get to see skilled artisans and master weavers in action, let alone assume the role of a propitious pupil to such expert craftsmen. Last May ten students of the <a href="http://www.pratt.edu/">Pratt Institute</a> traveled to the rainforests of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyana">Guyana, South America</a> to undertake “<a href="http://theguyanaproject.wordpress.com/">The Guyana Project</a>,” an initiative to get back to the basics and learn the process of designing <a href="../products-2/">ecologically manufactured products </a>and <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/furniture/">furniture</a> from those who've been doing it for centuries. Working in the Liana Cane Factory, an outlet located in the indigenous Wai Wai community, students discovered the ultimate spring of inspiration, drawing upon a rich culture and unprecedented experience. What resulted from their remarkable undertaking was an amazing collection of sustainable works that recently made their debut at <a href="../2010/05/19/the-best-green-designs-from-model-citizens-2010/">Model Citizens</a> during <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/05/17/inhabitat-reports-from-icff-2010/">ICFF</a>. Click ahead as students share their experiences and projects firsthand!

<h3>Undergrowth by Helene Harley Kenny</h3> "Undergrowth is inspired by the Demerara forest canopy. The varying transparency reflects the overlaying patterns of palms in the jungle. The chair is stripped down to its minimalist form and reworks the traditional weaving technique of nibbi in order to articulate form and function." -- Designer, Helene Harley Kenny (collaboration with Shawn and Leo)

<h3>Perch by Jason Hu</h3> "Inspired by the branches and roots of mangrove trees along the Demerara River, Perch is a playful seating element that can be rotated into a variety of seating positions. The user chooses to establish their ideal saddle height, angle, handle, and orientation. Thus, settling into Perch becomes an active and personalized process, much like sitting in a tree." -- Designer, Jason Hu (collaboration with Trevor, Shawn, and Bebe)

<h3>Pepper Pods by Sahar Ghaheri</h3> "Designing a piece in collaboration with this group of skilled workers meant taking into account Guyana’s rich history, its culture and rituals, and conceptualizing how these factors and influences manifested in modern day. The head of the weaving department at the factory said that, in the past, furniture constructed mostly catered to the ex-pat community, as the Guyanese gathered and socialized on the floor or on low stools." -- Designer, Sahar Ghaheri (collaboration with Trevor)

<h3>Knot by Cat Merrick</h3> "The tibisiri looks like rope, and the kufa bends naturally into organic, curvilinear shapes, so I made a chair that looked like a single rope twisting in space. I hoped that by creating a strong reference to something outside of its traditional associations, I could deny preconceived ideas about what furniture made from these materials must look like." -- Designer, Cat Merrick (collaboration with Shawn and Semaria)

<h3>Demerara by Ashley Thorfinnson</h3> "I found myself inspired by the often ornate and diverse architecture in and around Georgetown, particularly the fencing. Fences can often express many things -security, place, wealth, culture, and boundaries. Using a large number of bent kufa members, loosely “woven” in an alternating manner, I created a table surface with an interior bound compartment. Much like many of the fences I saw, the edges of the kufa are trimmed in an expressive way to suggest larger, striking curved shapes." -- Designer, Ashley Thorfinnson (collaboration with Pepe and Shawn)

<h3>Bee Wing Hanging Lamp by Catherine Merrick</h3> "The Wai Wai weavers have a bold aesthetic and highly evolved graphic language, and I didn’t want to fight it with a complicated profile. This lamp emulates the simplicity of Japanese paper lanterns, and follows the Wai Wai constraint of weaving square to round." -- Designer, Catherine Merrick (collaboration with Aio)

<h3>Bee Wing Lamp by Catherine Merrick</h3> "According to their definitions, the straights lines are fence posts, the wavy lines are bee wings, and the crosses are stars." --Designer, Catherine Merrick (collaboration with Aio)

<h3>Growth &amp; Re-Growth by Eve Fisher</h3> "These four pieces were inspired by the regenerative nature of the kufa vine and the sustainable method of harvesting used in Guyana. During harvesting, only the medium-sized vines are cut; the large vines continue to generate new growth and the small vines grow until they are large enough to harvest." -- Designer, Eve Fisher (collaboration with Roy and Bebe)

<h3>Rueda by Sara McBeen</h3> "The Rueda stool is defined by overlapping circular cross-sections of Kufa that rotate around the central axis of the stool in a playful manner. As the piece rotates the exterior profile undulates. The cushion is a layered element of the design incorporating a bright fabric and a loose weaving pattern of nibi." -- Designer, Sara McBeen (collaboration with Pepe and Bebe)

<h3>Esme by Ivey Lian</h3> Lian was inpired by the bending nature of Kufa. The basket form was made by creating a rounded kufa structure then weaving in nibbi to create undulating surfaces. Designer - Ivey Lian (collaboration with Carla)

<h3>Twisting Kufa by Mike Jozewicz</h3> "The Twisting Kufa lamps were inspired by unusable irregular pieces of kufa found laying around the Liana Cane Factory. The wowen Twisting Kufa Lamp is defined by a traditional weaving pattern and an expressed vertical structure of half-round kufa strips that highlight the twisting of the lamp’s form. The KUFA floor lamp is wrapped in half-round strips of kufa, which give the surface of the lamp a quality that mimicks surface texture of kufa itself." -- Designer, Mike Jozewicz (collaboration with Shawn, Sancho, and Mayapple)

<h3>Liana by Robbie Patrick</h3> "The Liana Barstool is founded on the principle of counter bow suppers on a cantilevered frame. The design uses the innate potential energy in each vine bend to counter the bends of its counterpart. The result is an activation of the negative volume beneath the seat plane, a stable yet responsive sitting object and very low material use. The result is elegantly minimal." -- Designer, Robbie Patrick (collaboration with Roy)

<h3>Pomeroon River Bench by Sara Dierck</h3> "On a river trip, we split into two boats with outboard motors. As we raced next to each other, I was struck by the high bows of the vessels that seemed to rock up and down on the river. The Pomeroon River Bench, a long rocking chair that is stepped into like a boat, is influenced by this experience. I wanted the form to be fun and active to sit in, and also be relaxing when it is converted into a lounge. The removable bench uncovers a pillow, which when placed at the front tip of the Pomeroon River Bench allows for a comfortable lay and slight sway front to back." -- Designer, Sara Dierck (collaboration with Trevor, Suzzette, Carla and Pepe)