JUAN FERNANDO HIDALGO

Contemporary sustainable design is approached here as a tool for awareness, engaging with global environmental and social challenges. The objects that surround us are conceived as carriers of beauty, stories, and living energy—elements that actively shape our experience of the world.

Juan Fernando Hidalgo’s work with totora reveals the material’s intrinsic beauty through a dialogue between traditional knowledge and contemporary production techniques. His pieces generate sensory experiences that challenge first impressions and invite deeper reflection.

At the core of the project lies a focus on water and its increasing scarcity, alongside the urgent need for accessible and sustainable treatment solutions.

Constructed wetlands planted with phytoremediating species emerge as a promising alternative. These plants grow rapidly, generating large amounts of biomass that must be periodically harvested to maintain the system’s efficiency—primarily concentrated in the roots. This biomass is often treated as waste, overlooking its potential as a valuable resource.

In Ecuador, the traditional use of totora by artisan communities is gradually declining due to the spread of industrial materials, leading to both cultural and ecological loss. This project responds by reimagining totora as a contemporary design material—bridging water remediation, craftsmanship, and innovation while supporting cultural preservation and responsible production.

Rooted in a conscious and largely handcrafted process, each piece embodies a balance between ancestral knowledge and contemporary sustainability.

Caterpillar is an inflatable object with an exposed totora fiber skin, shaped through a combination of natural rubber resin and manual processes. Its form is unstable and responsive: temperature, environment, and touch continuously transform it. Conceived without a fixed function, it invites open interaction and sensory exploration.

Mat evokes the natural ground—grass, landscape, and field—bringing a fragment of nature into interior space and blurring the boundary between the natural and the domestic.

studio link: www.juanfernandohidalgo.com