Anáhuac Icons | 50 Years of Industrial Design: The New Bauhaus and the Path to Sustainability

Description

Within the framework of the Madrid Design Festival, Fundación Casa de México in Spain, in collaboration with Universidad Anáhuac, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Industrial Design degree and is proud to present the meeting Iconos Anáhuac, La Nueva Bauhaus y el Camino a la Sostenibilidad (Anáhuac Icons, The New Bauhaus and the Path to Sustainability). This event brings together professionals, academics, students and design enthusiasts to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that design faces in a world increasingly aware of the need for sustainable practices. The celebration will take place on February 18 and will consist of a conference and a round table, which you can register for free at the link we leave you. They will be followed by the presentation of a temporary exhibition. All the information below.
Program:
Alvaro Catalán de Ocón: Collaborative design: a round trip | 11:30h
A reflection on ways of collaborating between different but similar cultures, countries and professions, which support and complement each other to create unique pieces between design, craftsmanship and the visual arts.
Álvaro Catalán de Ocón is a prominent Spanish designer known for his innovative approach to sustainable and socially responsible design. Born in Madrid in 1975, he studied Industrial Design at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan and at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. In 2004, he founded his studio in Barcelona, ​​consolidating himself as a key figure in contemporary design.
Catalán de Ocón is especially recognized for his ability to combine traditional artisan techniques with industrial processes, achieving functional objects that address social and ecological problems. His most emblematic project is PET Lamp, a collection of lamps created from recycled plastic bottles woven with natural fibers by artisan communities in countries such as Colombia, Chile, Ghana, Ethiopia and Thailand. This project not only promotes environmental sustainability by reusing waste materials, but also generates economic opportunities for the communities involved.
In addition to PET Lamp, her creations include the La Flaca lamp and the Plastic Rivers carpet collection, both with a focus on innovation and recycling. Her designs have been exhibited in important galleries and museums such as the Centre Pompidou, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Design Museum in London, and are part of permanent collections at institutions such as the MAK and the National Gallery of Victoria.
Through her platform ACdO/, co-founded with Enrique Romero de la Llana and Sebastián Betanzo, Catalán de Ocón is dedicated to self-producing and marketing her most personal projects. Her commitment to sustainability and responsible design has earned her numerous awards, including the National Design Award in the professional category.

The work of Álvaro Catalán de Ocón stands out for its fusion of aesthetics, functionality and ethical values, becoming a reference for design that balances the artisanal and the industrial, and addresses global challenges from a creative and inclusive perspective.
The assemblies of Design. Roundtable discussion: Global Perspectives on Sustainability in Design | 12:30h
Within the framework of Íconos Anáhuac 2025, a roundtable discussion is being organized with leading design experts to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that design faces in a world that is increasingly aware of the need for sustainable practices.
This meeting will feature the participation of:
Inés Benavides, designer, has an unusual profile in the world of design as she is a Mining Engineer. She has directed numerous interior design projects in Spain and abroad, specializing in urban residential projects and commercial premises. Her most creative side has been developed through the design of functional sculptures. These pieces have been seen at international contemporary art fairs, art galleries, solo exhibitions and public institutions. Her philosophy is based on the uniqueness of each piece, the fact that there is no other alike. She works with noble and natural materials that she moulds into organic shapes. Inés also seeks deliberate contrasts between textures and pairs them harmoniously creating powerful effects. These pieces are made in workshops of artisans who seek perfection in the result. In order to innovate, Inés and her design workshop spend a lot of time experimenting with new techniques and materials, as it is a fundamental requirement to create unique pieces.
Omar Cruz, Director of the Museo de la Vivienda. He is a communications expert from UNAM and has a master's degree in Cultural Management from the Universidad Iberoamericana de Puebla. He has collaborated on communication and cultural management projects in institutions such as the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, the Museo Universitario del Chopo and the UNAM Industrial Design Research Centre. In addition to coordinating academic activities and editorial projects around Mexican design, he has curated exhibitions on the same theme in museums such as Franz Mayer, Muca Campus, Museo Objeto del Objeto and the Museo Nacional de la Vivienda. He is the editor and author of the book Clara Porset Dumas. Reflexiones de diseño, published by the Faculty of Architecture and the General Directorate of Publications and Editorial Promotion of the UNAM; and from 2020 to 2023 he coordinated the seminar Caleidoscopio: moda, creación e identidades, at the Museo Universitario del Chopo.
Xavi Calvo, designer, disseminator and promoter of design with a social vision and an approach focused on innovation. His profile is completed as the author of research, opinion and reflection articles on design and collaborator in different media, co-founder of Estudio Menta, strategic communication consultant, teacher, speaker on design and jury in various competitions and awards.
At a more institutional level, as a manager, promoter of design policies and facilitator of relations between entities, he was the general director of València Capital Mundial del Diseño 2022, coordinator of the Consell del Disseny de la ciutat de València and currently directs the Fundació del Disseny de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Moderated by Dr. Claudia Alejandra Sánchez Orozco, Coordinator of the Virtual Campus and Sustainability at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Complutense University of Madrid.
Exhibition Objects that speak: reimagining the everyday | 1:30 p.m.
The exhibition showcases the talent and creativity of the industrial design students at the Faculty of Design of the Universidad Anáhuac México. Through a selection of original pieces, the students share their creative process, from conceptualization to final production, exploring new ways of conceiving everyday objects, experimenting with functionality, aesthetics and how ideas materialize.

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