Domingos Totora | Inspire We Trust

Qto material poor material to a true design rockstar . For a lot of time cardboard was not even considered as possible material in industrial design if not as useful for packaging object, as if to say that he dodged the glory of Design without ever being considered a true protagonist. This until companies and designer from around the world have started thinking eco sustainable, inexpensive and easy to do. This new “Green thinking” promotes the development of new companies and from the viewpoint of design allows a historic comeback for all materials that, such as cardboard for packaging, were ignored or proposed for a use too conventional.

In Brazil, in the green and sunny city of Maria Da Fe, resides with his studio and showroom an interesting designer that chose to rehabilitate the name of the packing cardboard to produce objects that are placed between the world of design and ’art. Mr. Domingos Totora, in fact, collects packaging cartons from all over the city and then makes them literally in to pieces to get the one usually defines pulp. It's a mash obtained by putting to soak in water and sticky solution the shreds of cardboard, the result is a true brown goo that once sifted to remove the excess liquid is ready to be processed. Looks almost clay in color and in the method of use and the result in the production of Totora focuses on form and the many expressive possibilities of this “new” material.

Is certainly interesting how cardboard pulp, when still wet, it is easy to use to model various forms, in the philosophy of Totora forms are strongly inspired by the nature as the giant cardboard stones that support the glass table Agua Table or jars that look like leaves folded back on themselves. Mural decorative elements also seem almost a reference to sculpted forms in the sand by wind and water.

Again it is interesting to think about the fact that starting from a sheet of paperboard packaging Totora manages to create objects and furniture that can be modeled and structured as if they were directly product with wood . The message that leaves us is certainly very timely given that its entire production is strongly imbued with the principles of’ecology, from recycling and sustainability all held together by a more human productive approach, almost archaic, that is called crafts. The added value of this undertaking is the recovery of local artisan tradition with the addition of creativity shapes and material. The result of his work is extremely modern because inspired by natural and simple forms and therefore timeless.