PROJECT VISION

We float hope to the future of designers working with communities. Significant design initiatives that give relevance to the landscape of Filipino craft as they work towards one vision: to give life and to give back to the environment.

- VANNI DE SEQUERA.

MIREI MONTICELLI

As an artisan, she first cut her teeth by learning how to build things with her hands; later on, by using tech to augment the reality of her do-it-yourself skills. In 2019, two years after a master’s degree in Design and Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Monticelli’s Nebula lamp received special mention from the jury during Milan Design Week. Made of banaca, a banana-abaca fiber pioneered by her mother, the fashion designer Ditta Sandico, Monticelli’s organically shaped pieces showcase the craftsmanship of weaving communities in Bicol.

Though her work is material-oriented, she considers how technology can enhance the design process. “Delving deeper into computer-aided design—and incorporating 3-D printing for prototyping and production—was a game changer for me,” Monticelli says. “This breakthrough opened a whole new world of possibilities. It enabled me to bring intricate geometries, so previously challenging, to life while also using traditional industrial methods.”

While other designers approach AI with distrust, she embraced it as a way to leverage her creative potential: “It’s super-helpful conducting virtual simulations for faster and more informed decision-making.”

Her scholarship under Kenneth Cobonbue taught her this: if your design pleases you, it will doubtless bring joy to someone else in the world.