Forsite Creative has decided to honor our managing partner and founder ; Gustavo De Hostos, and pay tribute to his Dominican Republic heritage which is country that Surge has supported in the past.
Mi Pana is an interactive desk for children between the age of 6-14. This product resonates the key pillars of the Dominican heritage and revives meaning to them as the children will engage with it on their educational journeys. Our product celebrates DR’s vast cultural heritage; from musical instruments such as the bongo, the vibrant carnivals, to the intricate craftsmanship. With that in mind, our design team united to create a brightly colored knock down product that commemorates these pillars and invites the children to unite in creating something of their own.
The piece consists of two main components; a seating cube which has an incorporated storage unit and an L shaped pull out desk. The seated instrument; as we like to call it, consists of four main sides constructed of up-cycled material which we envision being sourced of local waste in the diverse DR regions. The seating area is also made of coconut fibers which are the generously found on the beautiful shores of the region and woven in techniques passed down from generation to generation. We aim to spread an ideology which states – that just how the meaning of our heritage grows within us as we get older, Mi Pana is your buddy that grows in parallel with the children of our future and promotes the end of poverty; education being the forefront of our approach.