We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Mónica Pinto de Almeida about their original and creative Lighting design work. Mónica Pinto de Almeida is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original lighting works.
Mónica Pinto de Almeida ("MPDA") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Lorca Lighting. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
MPDA : My idea behind this design was to bring the art of literature into focus, to take one of my passions and create a dialog between design, light and my vision.
MPDA : My aim was to be able to translate my idea and inspiration into a moment of intimacy between the observer and the piece.
MPDA : To help create more awareness about Design and its impact on our daily lives, to make my vision known to more and more people.
MPDA : The concept itself didn't take long, it was later to get it and start developing the piece that took more time.
MPDA : In this design i decided to follow my inspiration. sometimes there is something greater than us, designers/artists, that pushes us to materialize our ideas, and this was one of those cases.
MPDA : I intend to produce the design myself
MPDA : What made me design this piece was to always follow my emotions and want to tell a story.
MPDA : I can't name any in particular, I followed my instinct and personal vision a whole lot.
MPDA : I think that anyone who is sensitive, attentive and wants to know more about pieces with a story to tell.
MPDA : I don't know of any similar ones, I think that when we expose something very personal and are not influenced by trends or styles, it will make the pieces much more unique.
MPDA : The name of the Design is exactly the name of the literary author that served as inspiration for the piece, Lorca. Federico Garcia Lorca was a great Spanish poet whom I admire greatly, and his work was the source of inspiration for the piece.
MPDA : After I had the concept developed and first made the drawings by hand, I later used 3D programs, such as SolidWorks, to help me with the construction of the piece and its fabrication.
MPDA : I think the most unique aspect of the piece is its approach to inspiration and the finish of the piece.
MPDA : In this piece I collaborated with luminotechnicians for the choice of the lighting element and with manufacturers who are very specialized in working with metal.
MPDA : The technology in this work is present, for example, in the manufacture of the text for the piece, in which I used laser cutting technology. The rest of the piece is very much based on very skilled labor.
MPDA : The research done for this design was almost null, since it is based very much on expressing my feelings and the things that are part of my daily life or life story, like literature.
MPDA : The challenges in this piece, as almost always was introducing the Light element into the vision I had for the piece.
MPDA : As in previous years I have participated in design competitions, and having received awards, I could see the benefits that these awards have for designers, for their recognition, for opening new markets and our consolidation as professionals, when the opportunity arose I did not hesitate to put this piece up for consideration, as I was also very curious to see the jury's acceptance of such an intimate piece.
MPDA : I always learn a lot, especially in the process of getting the ideas from paper to the real world. Am I getting the idea right, is it useful, what can I do to improve people's experience or how can I enrich the world with one more design? These are all questions that are answered throughout the design process. And what I've learned most is that the more pure, honest and vulnerable we are in this process, the more we can reach people with our designs.
MPDA : Just thank those people who have helped me and always believed in me and a sincere thank you to all the people who contribute to the Design field.
