The Wind That Moves Us

Understanding data can also mean to open it up to the possibility of poetry

As such, we chose a very Mediterranean metaphor as a way to frame Mango’s values: the wind. In the Mediterranean lands, the different winds each have a distinct identity and purpose, often linked with human traits and ancient creatures or deities. Just like the winds have sculpted the coastlines and landscapes of lands all across the world, Mango has five core values that have united and guided the company in the past four decades, central in shaping it into the international brand it is today.

Therefore, we decided to connect five of the winds with each of Mango’s values. For example, Mango’s guiding principle of an “Entrepreneurial Mindset” was linked with the strong, secure and powerful Tramuntana wind. The value of “Caring”, we associated it with the Midday wind - soft, warm and south-bound. 
Using this metaphor, we then built a participative sculpture that traces the values of the team of professionals who have brought Mango’s vision to life over the years. At the same time, we documented the process in a short film that would help explain the sculpture’s narrative and emphasize the idea of designing a conceptual piece of contemporary craftsmanship. 

A team-wide poll

We kicked off the project by conducting a survey across all of Mango’s teams to discover and research the main values that guide them in their everyday. In the survey, each question invited them to think about their personal approach to each of Mango’s values. For instance, when considering the value of "Caring," we explored whether they prioritize listening or offering advice when supporting others. And through these questions, we introduced the parallelism we drew between winds and values.

Analyzing the results and designing the sculpture 

Once we had received all of the data from the survey, we processed and parametrized the numerical results by representing them as bar charts, which we then used to trace and design the shape of the data-based component of the sculpture. Therefore, these responses from Mango’s team almost determined part of the sculpture's form and many of the measurements. Later on, a designer helped us decide on the materiality of the sculpture and contributed to the design of its base and overall structure.

Generating the final piece thanks to three different artisans 

We made the conscious choice of building a modern artisanal creation, as a way to evoke the idea of expertise rooted in tradition, yet still new and creative. We worked with three local artisans: a glasssmith, a metalworker, and a stonecarver. And in order to widen the scope of the installation and connect with retail workers, we also created five smaller-scale replicas of the sculpture. 

Documenting the creative journey

The final and concluding component of our collaboration with Mango was the short video which we made to explain the journey of the project, from the conceptualization to the design and production of the sculpture, highlighting the artisanal aspect of the piece too, and evoking an idea of modern craftsmanship. Narrated by a speaking voice which is identified as the wind, the video passes through a dozen places around Catalunya which all encapsulate the Mediterranean essence and the spirit of its artisanal traditions. 
As the video was made for the Mango team specifically, to provide context on the art piece, it is destined to an internal use only - a quiet reflection on the creative process as a meeting point between enduring practices and new ideas.