We designed the structure for a craftsmanship collective based in Oaxaca, México. The aim of the collective is to allow artisanal workshops in Oaxaca to grow by helping each other. The collective is also a place for artistic experimentation to grow as a community. 

The name of the collective is LABoz del artesano: a combination between laboratory and artisan's voice. The allusion to a lab refers to the experimental nature of the collective; it's a place for free creation and experimentation, research, brainstorming and idea exchange/combination. The second part ("voz del artesano" = Spanish for "artisan's voice") communicates the intention to give voice to the traditional workshops in Oaxaca. 

Workshops in Oaxaca are usually associated with tradition; our LAB aims to re-shape this perception by introducing a shared space for experimentation and collaboration that also helps the workshops individually. 

This project was presented to Rufina Ruíz López, a pottery workshop owner from Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca, as a strategy to grow her business. She expressed a desire to pass her knowledge and her interest in interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration: these values shaped LABoz del artesano. 

The team working on this project consisted on two industrial designers, two fashion designers, one textile designer and one graphic designer.