Fabricação digital para a produção de barracas das festas de largo de Salvador: experimentações na Festa da Conceição da Praia

Abstract

The objective of this research is to propose a Metamodel for food and drink stalls for the "Festas de Largo de Salvador", guided by digital manufacturing (DM) and mass customization (MC), in collaboration with the stallholders. The model is based on a set of structured elements typical of the stallholder community. The doctoral research considers and performs experiments with Digital Fabrication as a democratic path within a context of social technology development with the inclusion of the stallholder community. This will generate an alternative model for the "Festa de Largo" stall. We approach discussions in the field of DM/MC from the perspective of democratizing the project as a field of research for shared activities that encourage participation, reflection, and the construction of meaning. The research begins with a qualitative approach with interpretive underlying philosophical assumptions, with the model experimentation being conducted through action research and the hermeneutic analysis mode. Recognizing and identifying the attributes that gave the old "Festa de Largo" stalls as elements of cultural significance was the purpose that constituted the basis of our reflection to face the conceptual problem of proposing an alternative model. We comprehend that the pre-existing models belong to a period that cannot be reconstructed for the present, however, they possess symbolic elements that are representative of this activity. The Metamodel is based on the understanding that the "Festa de Largo" stall is a constituent cultural element of the "Festas de Largo", with the right to participate in culture and innovation notices. It is also adaptable to different public spaces of the city, and receives incentives for its development, operation, and maintenance. Understanding the "Festas de Largo" stalls as a functional utilitarian support is an assumption that should be overcome in approach and production. The research develops a reflection on the art and culture of setting up stalls, systematizes the memory of these significant elements, and reinterprets them, with a view to valuing the practice of stallholders and giving new meaning to them in the city of Salvador. As a result, we jointly obtained a proposal for a conceptual stall Metamodel and the first physical evaluations of the model's structural systems, which responded positively in the preliminary phase, indicating initial technical feasibility for the proposal, despite the need for additional investments in research and development.