Nearly thirty years ago, a research group focused on design was created in the Department of Drawing of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The end of the eighties, the decade of Spanish design, marked the beginning of design at the Spanish university with the introduction of the degrees in Fine Arts and the specialties in Design. The San Carlos School of Faculty of Fine Arts did not form part of this panorama, and it was not until the introduction of the degree in Technical Industrial Design Engineering that the Department of Drawing began teaching courses in the new degree. With the start of the teaching program, the research activity in Industrial Design began concurrently with professors Manuel Lecuona and Gabriel Songel.
Javier Pastor, far right, alongside other designers at the opening of the exhibition “30 Years of Industrial Design at the UPV”
And with this premise and this baggage, the exhibition “30 Years of Industrial Design at the UPV” has opened until September 8 at the Bancaja Cultural Center (Plaza de Tetuán, 23, Valencia), commemorating the start of the Industrial Design degree in this institution. A look through the creations of the various graduating classes in design from the campus, focusing on their trends, processes and technology.
The exhibition, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Universitat Politècnica de València, offers a retrospective of the creations of 26 designers, studios and companies that have carried their work from the 80s to the present. For the first time ever, the exhibition presents an ongoing account of this school of Industrial Design with a selection of almost one hundred designs applied to sectors such as furniture, childcare, ceramics, home design, textiles, interior design, automotive, consumer electronics, toys, social design, environment or sports.
It is a matter of satisfaction to take part in this exhibition, alongside a broad group of colleagues that are great Industrial Design professionals: Sandra Figuerola, Marisa Gallén, Manuel Bañó, Ana Mir, Marisa Llongo, Víctor Carrasco, Ramón Esteve, Nieves Contreras, Samuel García, Raúl Llagüerri, Pili Lidón, Javier Villar, Miguel Bartolomé, Tomás Morcillo, Paloma and Julián Escarpa.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
In 1993 I joined the Design Research Management Group (IGD) of the UPV as an intern, becoming full-fledged researcher in the group in 2000. Over the last 19 years I have worked in Research and Design Management, from a strategic perspective alongside Professor Manuel Lecuona López and, from an operational perspective, I have worked with various Valencian and Catalan SMEs in the home design sector (Gamamobel, Mobenia , Expormim, Poalgi, etc).
Design by Javier Pastor
In 2008, Manuel Lecuona and I started the collaboration between IGD and Expormim, a 50-year old company in Moixent. There is a business cluster in this town that started with wicker and rattan craftsmanship. The overall objective was to guide the company towards the culture of the project through design management, as a principal element of the company structure.
Over the last 19 years I have worked as an external consultant as part of the Expormim Product and Communication Committee and I have implemented product design and communication strategie. I have also worked as an Art Director, Industrial Designer and Graphic Designer, always with the aim of positioning the company as a leader in the design world.
This collaboration of more than 10 years has materialized in the positioning of the Expormim brand in the premium sector of home design companies. In the crisis period the company was able to turn its export figures around. Currently its balance is 70% export, 30% national market.
Professor of Audiovisual Communication at the Campus Gandia of the UPV
