Bagazo

Didier Dorival is an engineer and industrial designer with a background in aerospace engineering and fine art. His work has focused on the conjunction of tradition and innovation and involving Caribbean communities in finding new ways to use waste.

Bagasse is a natural fibre that occurs in great quantities as a by-product of the sugarcane industry. It is commonly used as fuel within the sugarcane industry and often contributes to the power grid. Bagasse has also been shown to have multiple uses beyond fuel; it is a popular source for paper, pulp, food service products, and animal feed. Dorival collaborated with artisans in Cuba to produce a chair – Bagazo – from bagasse in a recently developed harder, stronger and recyclable bio-composite form that is suitable for furniture-making. Bagazo embodies the connection with Cuban sugarcane culture through Dorival’s design, which resembles Cuba’s national flower, the mariposa.