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The Albufera and Valencian farmland have been the inspiration for the fourteenth edition of the RDS 14.0 exhibition. This annual event brings together students and artisans to combine young design with tradition, innovation and experience. (Video)

As part of the Models and Prototypes course in the third year of the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València, students from three different classes put their ideas into practice. As one of the responsible for this course, Carla Alcalá, explains, “the aim is to guide the students through the entire design process, from conceptualisation to the creation of a piece and its exhibition”, including the retail price. Because, as she adds, “it is a very valuable experience to take the work done at university into a real-world context and make the pieces marketable”.

Quality of execution and marketability

Students and artisans shape a piece, and 30 will be chosen to be exhibited at the Craft Centre of the Valencian Community. The centre staff participate in the selection of the pieces, prioritising criteria such as quality of execution and marketability, among other considerations.

The managing director of the Craft Centre of the Valencian Community, Miquel Cremades, points out that the centre is not a museum but an institution whose primary objective is business promotion. Since the agreement with the UPV was launched, there has been a great response, and currently, the artisans are looking for youth's 'freshness' in their designs. Thanks to this collaboration, 'artisans are getting used to incorporating external designs, but students are also getting a dose of reality’. He explains that, on occasions, there are designs that are very difficult or expensive to produce. ‘Paper can hold anything', but some designs are not feasible, which is the dose of reality provided by artisanal experience.

An example of collaboration

Leyre Napal Monreal, one of the students participating in the exhibition, contacted Tiziana Chiara, a SiO2 glass artisan, to create her two citrus-inspired necklaces with recycled glass. "One symbolises the shape of a lemon, and the other is a leaf that evokes citrus leaves. I've learned a lot,' she says, having discovered different glassworking techniques. Tiziana Chiara has participated in several editions of RDS and explained to the student "how glass behaves and which technique was most suitable for her designs. Choosing the right type of bottle was key", so that the colour would be uniform when melted.

Beyond creativity, this new craft promotes an ethical and responsible production model. This commitment prioritises collaboration between creatives, working with local or zero-kilometre communities, and efforts to minimise environmental impact through sustainable practices, which is evident in the creation of the pieces in this project.

RDS is the acronym for Retorno del Sentimiento (Return of Feeling), ‘a phrase by Miguel de Unamuno that seeks to link youth with tradition on which innovation can be built’. Manuel Martínez Torán, who has curated this exhibition together with UPV professors Carla Alcalá, Chele Esteve and Ana Escario, explains.

The exhibition is open to the public until 17 October, Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 7 pm, with free admission, at the Craft Centre of the Valencian Community. (C/Hospital nº7).

Photograph: Vicente Lara Sáez

Video: Amparo Berbegal Juan

Text: Carmen Revillo Rubio

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