Guatemalan design studio Cinco x Cinco designed a collection of tubular lighting fixtures and furniture called The Sum of Small Parts. The intriguing collection references playgrounds, and the feeling of playing and frolicking on the playground. The collection won the highest honor at Design Week Mexico 2022. The collection includes a chandelier, chair, and bar cart.
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The beautiful furniture pieces feature sinuous chrome structural elements and locally crafted artisanal materials such as – the chandelier’s Chinautla clay “pendant charms” and the bar cart’s conacaste wood slabs. The chairs feature a simple skeleton built from semi-circular bars covered with cotton fibers. The chrome bars end in small bulbs. The collection can be completely disassembled, creating the feeling of a playground, “especially the shabby metal structures that are found in any Latin American park”, the studio said.
“One goal we share as a collective is to innovate Guatemalan handmade and industrial techniques, show what Guatemala can bring to the design scene, and create functional, sustainable design with impact in the artisans’ communities,” architect Esteban Paredes. The studio utilized materials produced by Guatemalan artisans and paired up with over 30 makers to create the collection. The Cinco x Cinco includes five designers from various disciplines – anthropology, architecture, and visual art.”There are five different voices, but together, everybody can bring something to the table,” said Manuel Rionda “As long as we have the same vision.”
“Even these industrial parts that we made can be considered craftsmanship because it’s done by human hands. And combining that with craftsmanship is just showing that things don’t need to be made with a cultural aim. You can do modern design and actually challenge yourself and the artisans to make something new,” designer Sofia Contreras-Paredes (another participant designer). A major aim of the collection and the designers was to pay attention to not only the artisanal aspect of the pieces but to add more modern elements as well, which can be considered craftwork. Their goal was to break the stereotypes regarding crafts and introduce them in a new, refreshing, and innovative light. The beautiful collection definitely does justice to its beautiful name.
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