The second PiCoDe workshop took place in Porto (Portugal) with a group of students and teachers from Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Belgium and USA, who worked on the design and prototype of a new product, primarily made from natural cork. Cork is commonly sourced in Portugal by Amorim and responded to the needs of a local Porto wine producer called Churchill’s, which wanted to promote their wines within the distillery and at public venues.
These two local companies were closely involved in the workshop activities: wine producer Churchill’s identified the local market needs, and Amorim took the workshop participants through the entire process of harvesting, processing and transforming the cork material into various innovative forms.
After two weeks of work, the student group presented visuals and prototypes for two different products, GRICHER EARTH and DIAMOND TREE, which were wine displays equipped with a refrigerator and storage spaces for wine glasses and bottles.
The GRICHER EARTH was an installation display that evolved Churchill’s winery space and its shape was reminiscent of the vineyard terrain located west of Porto in the Douro River basin. The walk-around display and wine serving area was enhanced by an overhead video projector showing the movements of the river between the hillsides.
The DIAMOND TREE display was designed for portability, so traveling and setting-up at various public venues could be easier and more effective. In its display form, the shape was based on the Churchill’s diamond label, using different cork colors and textures for the bar, storage and video projection screen. The structure was light-weight and could be easily disassembled and packed into a one-meter portable trolley.