As part of 'PiCoDe - International Collective Design Project', ESAD selected two students to represent the institution in an international design workshop, which took place at the Lodz University of Technology, Poland.

Guilherme Matos and Marta Vieira were the two select students (Masters in Product Design), accompanied by two lecturers, Jeremy Aston and Marta Varzim, that were also part of the workshop, among other professors and students from Poland, Turkey and the United States.

From October 4th to 15th, 2021, the workshop aimed to create a new product to promote a local event, through the incorporation of a native material and/or production technique, such as wool and Jacquard.

The city of Lodz is historically known for its textile industry, and even today, many companies producing yarn and fabrics are based near the city due to this know-how. During the workshop, it was possible to access a modern Jacquard machine — an automatic loom machine invented in 1804 by the French engineer Joseph Marie Jacquard and programmed with the help of perforated paper cards to produce fabrics with specific patterns — allowing students to learn the technique and produce prototypes.

Through this collaboration, two concepts emerged, The Art of Hunting and Pokino. Both were conceived and developed by collective teams involving different disciplines (product design, visual communication, multimedia, textiles and fashion design), and completed in prototypes accompanied by their respective branding and digital communication. The results of the workshop were displayed in a public exhibition in the center of Lodz.

This workshop experience is part of a three-year research process, supported by the ERASMUS+ program, aiming to explore alternative teaching and learning methods that prepare students for future employment alliances.

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