Design for the preservation of the iconographic memory of a local artisanal product: the case of the bonecas de massa

Abstract

Bonecas de Massa are identity marzipan images from Madeira Island but they have not achieved a huge visibility and recognition, both locally and nationally. Currently, few artisans make them. Because it is not lucrative, none of them make this craft a full-time job. We propose to understand if the contribution of design by transforming these marzipan figures into biscuits/ cookies of similar iconography, through the industrialization of the manufacturing process, will be valuing and preserving the territory’s identity and the respective local heritage. Bilhardas, the name given to the new cookies, intend to communicate this story through the packaging to reposition themselves in the market, updating itself for new audiences. The methodology used is qualitative exploratory, with the use of case studies of identity gastronomic products whose typology, aesthetic and/ or anthropological character are demarcated and contribute to distinguishing them in their territory. These cases communicate a story and a tradition that reveal the culture of these territories through products. It is intended that Bilhardas show how it is possible to recover the memory of a handcrafted product, with reduced visibility, in a contemporary product.
memory of a handcrafted product, with reduced visibility, in a contemporary product.