Aunt: Maria, a friend of mine sent this “Disguise Kit”. She developed this for disguising things that we don’t want anyone to steal.

Maria: I got it! Like if I would buy a present for the Father’s Day, but leave it at the store until the right day, for my father not to see it and no one steal the gift!

A.: Right! What will we disguise?

M.: Our bags!

Maria looks the accessory of the Kit and start to put them at herself.

M.: Then it’s carnival time (Maria puts the disguise glasses), I will dress my costume (she starts to dance) and I will enter in the crowd, together with the people, and no one will find me because I am disguised! (she goes away, dancing and walking together with the imaginary group of people)

A.: Maria, and the bag?

M.: Oh, it’s true, let’s disguise it for no one to steal it in the crowd!

M.: Now I can wear it!

But Maria forgot one accessory…

A.: Maria, let’s try to join the panda to the bag’s disguise?

M.: We can put it on this swing… Aww… it turned into a nest to the panda! Now no one will steal it!

I’m sorry if I didn’t make it right… but I had fun!

I was expecting to have fun with the experiment. To be noticed by people, I was curious to see the reaction of them.

While on the bicycle path at the beach, I could notice some people looking, but not that much. I think that Rio de Janeiro is a relaxed city, specially at the beach.

A lady asked if I was working on the party room located on the street!

Some volunteers tried to do more discreet disguises, they also look quite effective. On this example, Vanira tried to disguise her watch and her ring.

I think that people don’t really matter if someone is using a disguised object at the street. They would look but never comment anything.

Vanira can be right, but if you notice, her picture was taken inside doors

The experiment showed that it is not that simple to take the cariocas out of their houses using decorated objects. They consider exotic and funny the colorful decoration that people from Bremen use on their bikes (check the analysis made about biking in Bremen). When you think that in Germany, the city of Rio de Janeiro is mostly known by being the “City of Carnival,” this attitude turns to be almost impossible to understand.

This interview was graciously accepted by Martí, who gave important feedback and criticism, making the learning outcome of this project even greater.

The first topic we discussed was flexibility and error-friendless [*]. Martí Guixé was asked if he has concerns, in his projects about errors or unexpected actions done by those utilizing the products or systems produced by him.

Of course, for all the projects I have done, every time the result is completely different because people do different things, completely unexpected things. If you work more on a system or platform you can’t know what will happen. So it is something that you already incorporate in the final result. My product is a system, so it produces different results.

I use tools for which you don’t know what people will do. They can destroy something, or do something, but my product is not the thing that they do, but the tool. The tool can be a platform, a system, or a protocol.

But error has probably this idea of good and bad. And error? Why an error? It is not really an error. If you have a wall for which you allow people to write things, you can’t say, “Oh! It’s an error!” If someone was writing unfavorable things about a brand, why is this an error?

After documenting the research done for „Global Design“, some differences were found between the amount and diversity of solutions generated by normal people for the problems faced in every day life in Rio de Janeiro and Bremen. Martí Guixé commented on that and remembered his work with Ernesto Oroza:

Of course, if you visit societies that haven’t been very industrialized, somehow they don’t have things. I spent some time in Cuba and worked there with Oroza. They are used to mixing. If they need a motor for something they will reappropriate a bicycle motor for another purpose. It is somehow very ecological and also interesting.

I can imagine that in Germany it doesn’t happen like that. I think that the role of art in problem-making  is very interesting for those countries, making people think about everything. Art would be very important for provocation, but I can imagine that in other places like Brazil, art is more spread between the thousands of things that people are doing.

The opinion and some advice from Martí Guixé considering the research developed for the thesis “Global Design: an intercultural analysis on Rio de Janeiro and Bremen”:

You can discover much from that perspective, seeing Germany from your Brazilian perspective and not just seeing Brazil from a German perspective. Seeing from outside allow you to discover many things. I think that it is important to think about attitudes more than about objects, why do they do what they do and, in what conditions they do it. From this attitude, you can develop things.

In Germany, you will never find Italian food, but the interpretation of Italian food, which is what Germans like. It has to do with the interpretation, which is what matters. If you find those things, you can come up with a lot of possibilities.

[*] Error-friendless refers to a concept explained in an Ezio Manzini‘s article: “Systems capable of evolving – Flexibility in the era of networks and sustainability”

For more information about Martí Guixé: www.guixe.com

The “empadas” were made with shredded chicken filling and short pastry dough.

“Coxinhas” demand more complex work. The filling is also with shredded chicken, but the dough demanded more strength to make. After the dough was done, it had to be moulded around the filling with the appropriate shape and then breaded well. When everything was ready, it had to be fried in a pot full of very hot oil.

It was hard work but a very nice cooking experience. Many thanks to the friends who helped!

Because of the urban violence on the streets of Rio, cariocas (people from Rio) usually avoid being with valuable things to avoid any stressful situation.

But what if the cariocas go on the street with all of their valuables that they don’t want to lose to theft? What if those things were there with them, but no one could see it? If they were disguised?

Using as reference the Bremer habit of decorating bikes, the idea on this action is decorating the loved objects of the cariocas, so that they can take everything they want to on the streets with them.

Some people were selected for the experiment and received a “KIT D!SFARCE” (Disguise Kit). The Kit has a short introduction explaining the experiment and encouraging them to take things to the streets that they would like, but for some reason wouldn’t habe been possible in the past. They will receive the Kit with some accessories to start the disguise.

As feedback they will send an email with answers for some questions and the pictures of the experiment. Let’s wait and see what results arrive!

In Bremen you don’t see people selling food or objects at the streets. If storm suddenly starts and people are in the middle of their way to any place, they would have to, for example, look for shelter or for a shop that would sell umbrellas.

What if a person selling umbrellas appears in a street of Bremen just in the moment that the rain starts?

Considering the aspects above, the idea of an action that could simulate this situation on the streets of Bremen started to be organized.

To surpass any strange feeling that could be generated on people by seeing any illegal seller at the streets, the first step was finding a known brand that could embrace the idea.

A retail chain of Germany was contacted, it was chosen because the umbrellas they sell are quite known in Bremen. An appointment was made and after a conversation with the sales manager responsible for the shops on Northern Germany and the public relations officer of the brand, it was possible to have some interesting feedback. Read them below:

1. For any king of action done at the streets, the drugstore has to ask for the authorization of the Government. And that, to them, means almost like a prohibitive action.

2. There are also strict rules for selling products outside of the shops, for example, in front of the front doors. In some cities in Germany just some groceries shops are allowed to do that.

3. During the conversation and while showing them pictures of informal work in Rio de Janeiro they made some observations:

But, who control all the quality and security of these food and products?

Oh my! This kind of situation you would never see in Germany! It looks like slave work!

I understand… those people are doing their best for feeding their families

You know, in Germany we have rules. We have rules for everything. And I like it!

I was reforming the bathroom. Then the worker responsible for it asked me: ‘Do you need the receipt?’ And then I said: ‘No!’ And it was much cheaper!

Two minutes after discussing about the pictures of the informal commerce in Rio de Janeiro we saw this scene (in a street of Germany):

The representatives of the store weren’t convinced on doing the experiment of selling their umbrellas outside, because of the rules and their philosophy of sales. Still, it seems that there would be still hope since their will on being legal or illegal can easily change as well as their understanding of informal jobs.

With some more effort and new arguments, the strategy used by the informal workers on Rio de Janeiro, could be proved as an interesting alternative for the business and the economy, specially when considering small jobs offers.

Mein name ist Hase, ich weiß von nichts. (I don’t know anything about anything.)

Victor von Hase

Would people from Bremen like this type of food? How would they react when eating and tasting it?

To answer those questions, a lunch was prepared with two type of “salgadinhos” and it was served to a group of Germans who never tasted them before. The ones selected to try the food sat down at a table with just the food itself. Other table, apart from the other, had the dishes, cutlery, napkins, sauces, salad, bread and juice. This second table had things that people from Rio usually use while eating the “salgadinhos”, but also things that they don’t use, things that Germans might like to use or eat together with this “new” food.

Nothing was said before people got their first look at the food, nothing about the flavor nor about how to eat it. Before starting the process, they already given some opinions based solely on the appearance.

About the “Empadas”, the one with paper form:

Looks like something sweet, maybe because of the paper.

It could be a meat pie.

It looks dry and it seems that it has cheese and ham inside.

They look like Turkish sweets.

About the “coxinhas”, the roundish one:

It looks like polenta and it’s probably red inside.

Looks like it’s fried but I’m not sure if it’s salty or sweet, it looks like it has sugar around.

After some bites:

The filling of the empada is chicken? Really? I thought it was fish!

Which way would be better to eat? How do you think people eat it in Brazil?

They are probably sold on the streets, with small carts that they push by hand or even holding trays on their shoulders.

It is better to eat both with the hands. Don’t take the empada out of the form!

I can’t imagine how they would eat it walking fast on the streets, without sauce.

With the bread it would be possible to eat with the salad.

The salad irritated me, somehow it doesn’t belong.

How much do you think it would cost?

The coxinha is cheap, because it is fried.

The empada can be more expensive because it has butter.

Coxinha: 3 for 2€. Empada: 1€, not more than that!

Not that cheap, because of the time and work it probably demands.

It was interesting to see that they started eating the two “salgadinhos” in a way that Brazilians don’t usually do – in a plate with salad. After eating some units they concluded that it would be better to eat it just with their hands, adding sauces sometimes (just like people from Rio!).

Other curious thing is that the bread was also proposed as a side, and nobody touched it. In the southern Brazil, a region known for its large amount of people of German descent, people put the “salgadinhos” inside bread to eat them. The only reference made to the bread was in the end, when one of the people in the experiment said the bread could be a good idea because then she would have been able to add the salad and the “salgadinho”inside, eating all together then.

In Germany you will never find Italian food, but the interpretation of Italian food, and that is what Germans like. It has to do with interpretation, this interpretation is what matters.

Martí Guixé **

* I would like to thank Café LU in Hfk Bremen and all the people that so gently agreed to be part of this experiment, on preparing the food, helping me build it and eat it. You are great!

** In an interview done for this work.

For private cars it can be difficult to find parking places in some regions. The most popular mode of transport is the bicycle. People frequently use their bikes in the city because Bremen is small and has good bike paths all around the city. From Downtown to the parks, everyone can go biking for work or leisure.

“Bremers” enjoy biking and they try to get the maximum benefit out of it. Going to the supermarket, commuting to work, taking the kids to school, or just having fun are examples of usual activities undertaken with the bikes. There are many types of accessory for each activity. People also like to personalize their bikes, by buying special models or adding fancy decorations all around it.

Bremen has experienced some cases of pickpocketing on public transportation and on the streets, but most common is bicycle theft. Stolen bikes are commonly sold on the black market. What is curious to notice is that normally there aren’t personalized bikes sold. Taking the decorations out off of the bikes would mean a lot of work to the robbers, and leaving the “funny bikes” as they are would make them recognizable by their real owners.

Along the busier streets of the city, people could easily walk for fifteen minutes, but in cars and buses it can take 45 minutes or more.

Because bike paths are rare in the city, most of the time people move around with private cars or public transportation. While inside cars and buses or walking on the street, people think about the risk of being robbed. Most of the time, cars have tinted windows that are totally closed and air conditioning that stays on, so that others do not see who or what is inside.

On public transportation and on the streets, people take care of what they carry. Jewelry, expensive cell phones or watches are usually objects that everyone hides or would be something unimportant create a curious effect: sometimes you can’t see who is rich or poor just by looking. The objects that usually reveal that someone has money are not exposed.

It’s all about people!

Oh, are you taking pictures? Wait a minute, I will bring something for you! Did you take it?

I will hold this big knife for your picture! ‘Te amo!’

Antonio! Show your thighs to the lady!

Take a picture! Take a picture of all this food here, I cooked everything!

I believe in the world and in humanity and that is why I make things for people.

Jurgen Bey *

* text from the book: Bright minds, beautiful ideas: Bruno Munari, Charles & Ray Eames, Martí Guixé and Jurgen Bey (2003)

One of the favotite types of informal commerce is selling products according to the opportunity. If it starts to rain, vendors will sell umbrellas. If there is a game at Maracana (the biggest stadium in Rio) they will sell beers outside. When there are free concerts on the beach, they sell beers and collect cans.

Other common strategy are selling goods on sideways. Usually, the products are exposed on a plastic sheet on top of a piece of cardboard supported by a wooden or cardboard box. It is a cheap and a practical system; vendors can easily just leave the box on the street if they see the police control coming.

There are also vendors  that are walk on the streets to sell their products. Those usually use bikes or special self-propelled cars to move around and carry their goods. Some can manage to have loyal customers that know the days and time that they pass by.

Others that walk around selling at the beaches and on public transportation like buses. Some develop very special systems and techniques for selling their products and conquer the clients.