Laia

The Laia is a tool for tilling and turning the soil, made up of two h-shaped iron pieces. It was widely used in the Basque Country and Navarre at least from the 13th century, as is attested by a relief of Adam in the Church of Santa María la Real in Olite (Navarre).

The direction of the work is backwards and, although it is possible to work individually, it is more effective to work in a group. The farmers —men and women alike—, holding a laia in each hand, plunge them into the ground, almost together and at the same time. Then, without releasing them, they stand on the horizontal part of the tool, as if they were riding on stilts, and bending down suddenly and ‘kicking’ over the laiae, they sink them deep into the earth. Once they have done this, and with a violent thrust of the body backwards, they lift and blow up two large chunks of soil.

Campesinos lajando [sic]. Photo by Felipe Manterola, 1915.

The use of this tool should not be considered as a backwardness or an archaism. For centuries, laiae were used alongside the plough for complementary work until the middle of the 20th century, when they were definitively replaced by motorised agricultural implements.

Inspired by this fascinating tool, Carlos Alonso Pascual has created Laia navarrensis, a chair that invites us to reflect on the power of vernacular technologies to inform our common future.

Cultural Design

The global belief in extractivism as an engine of economic and social growth, and the idea that the human species is disconnected from the natural processes around it, have paved the way towards an increasingly catastrophic future.

In order to stop being victims of unwanted cultural processes and to achieve a harmonious state of life for ourselves and future generations, it is necessary to take control of these processes and to direct them according to the principles of coexistence and sustainability. This is the aim of Cultural Design, an emerging field of interdisciplinary studies concerned with the application of design principles to the evolution of cultural elements.

We are talking about building a much better world than anyone can imagine today. After all, as many experts point out, a world of symbiotic relationships between humans and their environment would represent an exponential improvement in life for everyone, including today's elites who, despite having comparatively high purchasing power, end up suffering from the same systemic problems that threaten all life on the planet.

SLOW DESIGN

The massive consumption of cheap furniture has become a huge environmental problem. According to the European Environmental Bureau, 10 million tonnes of furniture are discarded by businesses and consumers in EU Member States each year, the majority of which is destined for either landfill or incineration.

Fast furniture, like fast food, is empty of culture, and tells no memorable or meaningful stories. It is only through the establishment of emotional connections with the furniture and objects we utilise that we can extend their lifespan. It is imperative that we design pieces that are so engaging, appealing and meaningful that users do not wish to discard them, but pass them on to future generations.

Due to the fundamental role it has played continuously throughout the ages, the laia is an element of great ethnographic and cultural significance. Laia biscayensis is a cultural prototype that has the potential to inspire significant, large-scale behavioural change.