French designer Sam Baron has won the first phase of the creative contest "Use&Abuse," an initiative of the Azores Creative Industry Platform (PICA), with the project designated as "Asentar."
 
The evaluation of the projects and the selection of the winner were carried out by a jury composed of members of acknowledged expertise and repute representing the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory (LREC), the Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials and Products (CIMPA) and Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores and SDEA - Society for Business Development of the Azores.
 
Based on criteria such as innovation, the impact of the project in the Region or the potential of the product, the jury has chosen Sam Baron's "Asentar" project as the winner of the first phase of the contest.
 
Sam Baron is an internationally renowned French designer with outstanding work for brands such as Vista Alegre, La Redoute, Airbnb and Hennessy.
 
He currently lives and works between France and Portugal, having participated in artistic residencies held in the Azores under the Walk&Talk festival.
 
The artist will now see his project taking shape. He submitted his application to "Use&Abuse" with the idea of building street furniture from basalt by drawing on the architectural details of the Azores islands, namely the classic details of the archipelago's buildings.
 
Despite only electing one winner per contest phase, the "Use & Abuse" jury has decided to assign an Honourable Mention to Filipa Silva's "Picoruto" project for the innovation and originality of the product presented, which was developed from the same endogenous resource: basalt stone.
 
The "Use & Abuse" initiative includes another three contests where any person or entity may present their original ideas int he following categories: Fibres (Khalili ginger, hydrangea and pineapple) running until February 15; Soils (pozzolan and pumice) taking place from February 28 to March 28; Wood (cryptomeria and acacia) taking place between April 15 and May 15.
 
All interested parties are invited to participate in this contest with an innovative idea for the development of a product based on the endogenous resources of the Azores (fibres, soils and wood). They will have the opportunity to see the prototyping of their project so that it may be later developed and marketed, joining LREC in the mission of disseminating the potential of the Azores' resources and the capabilities of the Azoreans.