GroOovematic is a dynamic jazz trio from France that combines modern influences from music genres like funk, electro, and hip-hop with traditional sounds to create their own eclectic style. The group is touring through Argentina this month to promote their first album, the self-titled compilation GroOovematic, to be released in November.

Playing intimate concerts in Argentine jazz clubs and cosy theatre venues with a final pit stop in Uruguay, the trio– which has already toured extensively through Europe and Asia, is excited to share their music in a different part of the world.

Cédric Hanriot is the enthusiastic leader of the group, having worked as a solo jazz artist and on different projects for several years before forming GroOovematic. Hanriot is a pianist, composer, and producer– a true musician in every sense of the word and has headed the group since its formation about two and a half years ago.

Hanriot started playing music much later most musicians of his skill level, first sitting down at a piano at age 20. However, his natural talent was apparent from the start, and since his introduction to the world of creating music he never looked back. Hanriot taught himself the basics and then developed his repertoire playing with French jazz bands about six years later. He received a Fulbright grant in 2006 that brought him to the US to study at the Berkeley School of Music in Boston– an event that he says really changed his career and formed him as a musician. While in the US, Hanriot thrived upon the historic jazz influences of the east coast and met veteran musicians he still works with today. After graduating from Berkeley, he recorded his first album, French Stories, with well-known musicians James Genus and Terri Lyne Carrington, released in 2011. He then returned home to France, where he would begin the GroOovematic project and record his second album with the trio.

The 35-year-old is the visionary of the group’s unique music that intricately layers soft jazz piano with percussion and double bass accompaniment. Hanriot usually does the groundwork composing the trio’s preliminary melodies and harmonies and then brings the charts to fellow band members Jean-Baptiste Pinet and Bertrand Beraurd who join in to develop a final product.

As far as the actual process of writing music goes, Hanriot explains: “Influences can come from a lot of different things–intense feelings or emotions that you experience and want to translate into music. Or, for example you hear a concert and you feel inspired or moved by the music and it gives you an idea that you then go and develop.”

After rehearsing, the group debuts their pieces to live audiences who marvel at Hanriot’s effortless dominion over the piano as his agile fingers dance melodically over the keys. Talking with the group about the style of the band, Beruard says: “We try to mix jazz with now-a-days influences like rock, hip hop, funk and electro.”

Although all three GroOovematic musicians are from the same area in France, they grew up listening to different types of music, something that influences where they draw inspiration. Hanriot and Beraurd started playing rock and funk music together in their early twenties, and then met Pinet and began their current jazz trio. The group takes pride in the fact that each member brings his own different style and experiences to the table, and tries to take advantage of the richness of the diverse musical backgrounds and personalities they carry.

According to Hanriot, “Yeah, the good thing is that we basically have two generations, [there is about a 15-year age gap between Hanriot and Beraurd and Pinet] and three different people in the band … and we all listen to different music– we don’t listen to the same bands at all! Really thanks to that we’ve made up an original band.”

Hanriot favoured more mainstream pop and funk music, as well as in the 1980s, which he points out was the first era for synthesizers, which he incorporates in his work. Beraurd grew up listening to rock music like Led Zeplin, Queen, and The Doors, whose sounds he still admires, while Pinet leaned more towards French pop and underground styles. Pinet notes that this wide range of genres comes forth in GroOovematic’s sounds, saying, “We mix all of these kind of influences in our music.”

On this tour, the idea is to play up the group’s liveliness, which has been a defining aspect of GroOovematic from the start.

Hanriot explains: “What I really want to do with this project is keep this kind of groove in our music– I don’t want to be disconnected to that vibe. That’s what really touched me and drew me to music in the first place– when you can dance and when the music makes you move. That’s what attracted me more than anything else, and I don’t want to lose that.”

For more information about Hanriot and his latest projects, visit his website. Check out recordings from some of his recent performances on his Youtube channel.

Notorious Jazz Club in Buenos Aires and the Claypole Jazz Festival just outside of the city have hosted the group thus far.

Their tour continues at the venues listed below:

18th June, Ciclo Jazz Impressions– Maria Bonita, Mitre and Macias, Adrogué, Argentina
21st June Thelonious Jazz Club– Salguero 1884, Buenos Aires, Argentina
22nd June Jazz Festival Lomas de Zamora– Teatro Municipal, Manuel Castro 220, Argentina
25th June Teatro Municipal, Bahia Blanca, Argentina
27th June Teatro Solis– Sala Zavala Muniz, Montevideo, Uruguay
29th June Teatro Uama, Carmelo, Uruguay.

The porter of Ángeles Rawson’s apartment building has confessed to her murder, after the 16 year-old disappeared on 10th June.

Jorge Mangeri, 45, the main and only suspect in the investigation, confessed yesterday: “I am responsible for what happened at 2360 Ravignani, my wife has nothing to do with it, don’t involve her in this…it was me.”

This past Friday, Mangeri stood before district attorney Maria Paula Asar in order to testify as a witness in the investigation, but suspicions were raised after he became nervous and stumbled over persistent questions over unusual scratches on his torso.

The porter said: “it was an accident, I did not …”, before he alleged that he had been kidnapped, burned with cigarettes, and scratched in two episodes over Thursday and Friday, according to sources. Doctors believe the scratches to be self-inflicted, possibly to cover up the scratches of the girl.

The attorney then stated that Mangeri could officially no longer speak as a witness and he was formally charged with the crime. Represented by Carlos Garay, Mangeri was called for questioning on Saturday morning but refused to testify.

A statement released by the prosecution detailed the continual contradictions by Mangeri: “Mangeri reported alleged mistreatment and deprivation of liberty, and said he suffered the injuries hours before.”

It was confirmed by the autopsy that Ángeles was not raped, and that she was strangled to death. DNA tests are being undertaken this week.

IdeaMe is an online platform, which helps creators, be they inventors, artists, or designers, among others, to finance their projects through crowd funding. The Indy features and promotes one project every week, with the aim of helping the creators finance and achieve their dreams. This week: Archaeology in Buenos Aires.

Odlanyer Hernandez de Lara, an archaeologist from Cuba, is attempting to further uncover the history of San Telmo, and Argentina, by continuing to examine and excavate and ancient house in Defensa Street.

“The owners of the house were renovating part of the building so they got in touch with the Heritage and Historical Institute of Buenos Aires to ask if anyone might be interested in conducting an archaeological dig, given that the house was so old,” explains Odlanyer on his Ideame page.

Like all archaeologists, Odlanyer was excited at the prospect of stripping back the house to its bare bones in the hope of finding ancient relics before starting the project earlier this year. However, as the dig progressed, it soon became clear that Odlanyer and his team were not working on an ordinary house.

The hospitality and willingness of the house’s owners, together with the discovery of a well located in the middle of the main courtyard, made for a special dig. Within the well they found fragments of ceramic plates, glass, ironwork, a even preserved food, all of which tells a story about not just the history of the house and the people who lived there, but of Buenos Aires and Argentina.

“Inside, together with lots of of earth, countless archaeological artifacts were waiting for us. They appeared to be from different periods but are all important when it comes to understanding what happened on site. Everything we find helps us to interpret the past,” Odlanyer adds.

Each and every finding has been cleaned, documented, and is in the process of being sent away for laboratory analysis. Of particular interest is a coin made in Lima, Peru, harking back to 1805 and the reign of Carlos IV. Discovery of the coin has opened up new channels of investigation given that it is unlike other coins from the same era, as it is not cast from silver, suggesting that it might be a fake, which would imply evidence of money laundering during the early 1800s.

With so much success the first time around, the owners of the house have agreed for Odlanyer and his team to set up a second dig, with the aim of delving deeper into the house’s foundations where more unusual finds are now expected. Preliminary excavations uncovered what is thought to be the openings of two wells leading to subterranean structures. Odlanyer is sure that unearthing these two openings will lead to further discoveries and ultimately a greater understanding of how people lived, ate, and cooked over 200 years ago.

“The two underground structures fueled the IdeaMe project, in a bid to carry out the necessary works. The money will cover expenses of food equipment, as well as tools and materials for preservation and restoration, all of which will help us uncover new findings,” he explains.

With any potential money raised he hopes to hold an exhibition to showcase the findings from the first dig. If 25% of the funding goal is raised Odlanyer and his team will be able to complete excavating the first well, and if half of the final amount is raised then the two new wells will be examined. With the full amount the archaeology team will be able to completely excavate the sites and fund an exhibition.

In return for donations Odlanyer is offering a range of prizes from a full archaeological report detailing all that is found during the excavation to a chance to photograph the dig. An invitation to an asado to meet the team is also up for grabs.

To find out more and donate visit the Ideame page.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced yesterday that visiting fans would be banned from the remaining two matches of the first division final tournament due to escalating violence.

AFA made the decision alongside  the national government after a Lanús fan was killed at the La Plata Stadium just before the club’s match against Estudiantes on Monday 10th June.

According to AFA, although the precautionary measure was originally meant solely for Buenos Aires Province, visiting fans across the country are also currently banned from entering match stadiums.

After meeting with the Executive Committee, AFA Secretary General Miguel Silva explained: “This is a logical and reasonable measure agreed upon by with the government.”

Lanús fan Javier Gerez, 38, was killed at the Estudiantes home field in La Plata in a clash with police officers. Officers at the stadium shot Gerez in the chest with rubber bullets, which sent him to the hospital where he later died. Monday’s match was delayed after the incident, although it was not cancelled until half time when the referee received the news of the fan’s death.

Buenos Aires Minister of Justice and Security, Ricardo Casal, announced yesterday morning that his office would not allow for visiting fans at games in “any division” and that the police would no longer shoot rubber bullets at matches.

He also ordered for the suspension and arrest of three officers connected to Gerez’s death.

Casal said: “This is over. In the Province of Buenos Aires there are not going to be any more visiting fans in any division until the AFA and the Agency for the Prevention of Violence in Sports (Aprevide) promises us that there will be no more violence on the football field.”

Gerez’s death on Monday evening was the tipping point in a violent weekend for Argentine football. A Velez-All Boys match was called off on Saturday after a scuffle between fans and police broke out and fans were tear-gassed.

However, football clubs like River Plate have criticised the AFA measure in spite of the recent violence. River coach Ramón Díaz said: “I hope that the problem can be solved quickly because for us and for the players, the support of our people and their encouragement is very important. As a coach, it’s never happened to me that we would play on the field without our fans, and it’s going to feel weird because football without fans is nothing.”

The ten finalists in The Argentina Independent‘s “My Buenos Aires” Photo Contest. The one with the most likes wins! Voting until Friday the 14th! All finalists will have their picture printed and displayed at the Underground Market on Saturday 15th June. The winner receives their very own Indy Eye.

Lead Image by Beatrice Murch

Subways of Buenos Aires (SBASE), the state-owned company that manages the capital’s subte system, has presented a plan to extend the H line northwards through Villa 31 on the way to Retiro. The new stations included in the plan will be the Law Faculty, Villa 31, Retiro bus terminal, and Retiro, where it will connect with the C line.

“We want to expand the subte to make connections for thousands of people,” a spokesman from SBASE said.

There have long been plans to extend the H line to Recoleta, but the project has run up against a variety of problems. The city began construction of a station in Plaza Intendente Alvear, but due to complaints from neighbours and environmental groups, the project was halted, and the city government was told to discuss new locations for the extension.

Buenos Aires Legislator Rafael Gentili, of the Proyecto Sur party, called for the construction of Padre Mujica station in Villa 31, and María Jose Lubertino proposed the station in Retiro. The new section will add a semicircle loop of nearly 3 kilometres.

“This project is essential, because it goes through areas that have little access to public transport and are not interconnected,” Juan Pablo Piccardo, president of SBASE, explained.

Currently, 265,000 people use the C line daily, and 70,000 use the H line. SBASE said the Law Faculty stop will benefit more than 15,000 people and the Padre Mujica stop will make the subte more accessible to Villa 31’s more than 25,000 residents. With extensions towards the port, the line could end up benefiting more than 100,000 people, a spokesman from SBASE said.

The initiative to expand the subte to said locations needs a simple majority to pass through the city legislature. If approved, the new stations will be opened in 2015.

There is work to be done if Buenos Aires is to raise its environmental profile, but a new fair that launched on Sunday, just a stone’s throw away from San Telmo fair, is on its way to help the Argentine capital do just that.

Taking place every Sunday just off Plaza de Mayo, the Feria de Consumo Responsable promotes sustainability and consumer consciousness. Supported by APrA, the city government’s Environmental Protection Agency, it is organised by Ambientate, a non-profit organisation striving to raise environmental awareness in Buenos Aires. Since 2009 Ambientate has been informing the public about pressing issues through a series of networking events designed to connect “green” professionals and promote the benefits of thoughtful energy consumption, recycling, and sustainable living.

The mid-section of Av. Julio A. Roca was lined with more than 70 stalls, each manned by an environmentally conscious entrepreneur selling goods made from naturally sourced, recycled, or salvaged materials. The stretch was pedestrianised with an area for talks and workshops, some interactive educational areas, and stage from which live music was played. Demonstrations were set up including pushbike generators, one linked up to a monitor displaying power output, another rigged to a blender making fruit smoothies, while the band, Babel Orkesta, entertained the crowds.

Vivero Organico Sonyando, a company specialising in organic plants, were selling a range of herbs and small fruit trees. They also hold workshops and courses in organic gardening methods and offer a range of services from garden maintenance to design. “We are constantly helping develop cooperative spaces into eco-friendly, organic, sustainable areas,” said Sonia Pérez, Sonyando’s director.

Like Sonyando, Kokedamas are also devoted to harmonising city life and nature with their “non-pot plants”, which do not require plastic containers, eliminating any potential waste. “We see ourselves as a social trend that seeks to correct lifestyles immersed in a large city, surrounded by concrete and smog, towards sustainable and fresh forms,” said gardener Pedro Minotetti, who runs the company with graphic designer Marianela Màrquez.

Stalls displayed bottles morphed into lampshades and wind chimes, clothing made using organic cotton, and bags made from old car tyres and boat sails. Other stands included pottery and artisan crafts, recycled paper, as well as innovations such as solar cookers.

Despite the weather, which was overcast and cool, a steady number of people filtered through. “The fundamental concept of the fair revolves around responsible consumption and sustainability. We brought these businesses together to show the city what they are doing and to raise awareness about the impact of consumerism on the environment,” said Julieta Morosoli from Ambientate. “Each of the businesses here are totally aware of the environmental and social impact their products have, many of which have no carbon footprint at all.”

Babel Orkesta breathed some life into what was essentially a craft market, first playing on stage before moving amongst the audience and initiating a brilliant communal, melodic hum. Two or three skips, each full of rubbish, were perhaps a little clumsily placed in full view of the event, however, it is the first of what is to be a weekly fixture on Buenos Aires’ calendar and promises to improve as time goes on, spreading the environmental message and hopefully changing the way people live in the city.

Feria de Consumo Responsable, every Sunday from 10am to 6pm on Diagonal Sur (Av. Julio A. Roca) between Av. Belgrano and Alsina in the centre of Buenos Aires. For mas information, visit their facebook page. 

A rain and hail storm hit Buenos Aires this morning, causing flash flooding throughout the city. The rain began around 11am, and 35millimeters fell in the capital in the first hour. The north of Greater Buenos Aires saw up to 80millimeters fell in one hour.

“The arrival of a cold front will lead to showers and thunderstorms, some very heavy, with possible hail and gusty fall, during the day. Conditions will to improve from west to east from the afternoon on,” Diego Santilli, Minister of Enviornment, warned this morning.

Areas most affected include Belgrano, Villa Urquiza, Palermo and Devoto. In Belgrano, the corner of Cabildo and Blanco Encalada saw excessive flooding, with water inundating numerous shops and leaving some cars stranded in the middle of the street.

Fortunately, two areas still recovering from April’s devastating storms did not suffer severe effects. In La Plata, where 60 people died last month, some roads were flooded but the damage was limited. In Barrio Mitre, a Buenos Aires neighbourhood often flooded due to its location in a basin, flooding was also minimal

Subtes A, B, C, D, H suspended service due to the amount of water in the tunnels.

Even the Casa Rosada was affected by the heavy rains: water broke through Balcarce Street into “Patriot’s Hall,” located on the ground floor of the building. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner continued the day’s activities in other sections of the government building.

Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri tweeted: “For now, the alert is mild but take necessary precautions, and we will continue to monitor throughout the day.”

Santilli confirmed some setbacks from the rain, but said there are no reports of major damage. He added that teams are working to clean up most-affected areas.

The A4 sheet of paper stuck on the pulled down shutters was all that gave the venue away. Behind them, a different kind evening was about to unfold. 

Three weeks earlier I’d been sat in my hairdresser’s front room when she told me about Sofar Sounds. I had an idea it was going on back home in London, but no clue that this grassroots effort of creating intimate gigs in people’s front rooms had now made it to over 30 cities and five continents since it started four years ago. I wanted in on this and was just a bit excited to be part of the ‘club’, going to see a bunch of as yet unnamed artists play in a ‘secret’ location. There was no way to give the bands a quick Google and a listen. I liked it.

 

The confirmation finally came through a couple of days before the show, giving me the address for the night – a street tucked away in Palermo. A few people were hanging around the guest-list and we were shown through into a beautiful, run-down old house with roughly-graffitied passages and rooms leading off to closed doors.

“It’s all about surprise,” Hernan Pato, who founded Sofar Buenos Aires in 2011, tells me. “We double check that those on the guest-list confirm they’re coming. We want people to come because they really want to be here, not as a back-up option for a night out.” It was obvious that the 50 or so people did want to be there. There was a fizz of excitement going around with the red wine. I soon find myself snuggled up with a bunch of strangers – most cross-legged on the floor, a lucky few plonked on bean-bags. 

Before things kick off, Hernan stands up and reminds us we’re there to see the music so we should appreciate it by not talking, definitely not using mobiles, and staying until the end. It sounds militant, but they are trying to create a magical shared experience here. Audience hushed, the first band – Ragazzas – steps up. They describe themselves as ‘alternative pop-rock.’ Maybe the Argentine bombo legüero drum and the uklele-like, 10 stringed, charango guitar fulfilled the ‘alternative’ part of the description, but, although I loved the disco-robot synth-ing last tune, I wasn’t yet grabbed. On the other hand, they had a sense of humour, the lead singer had brilliantly crazy curly hair, and they all swapped instruments. Double thumbs up.

Hernan Segret was next up. Two guys, one who’s delicate, comforting voice enveloped the room as the other played jazz drum-sticks on a note pad. They left an impression and this was when the night really started for me.

After a little break, things resume with Valentin Gonzalez, a self taught guitarist and singer with his band. This really worked. All Jeff Buckley inspired calmness cut with thrashing riffs and high-pitched delicate melodies. The drummer, intense, looked like he was terrified of missing a beat on the tambourine, but he never did. These guys were seriously talented, and I was a bit taken with them. They had amazing curls too, which was a bit of a theme. 

The silence and childlike positioning on the floor compels you to listen and observe the music and the musicians in a new way. As Hernan explained: “the bands aren’t just there for background music in a noisy bar while you chat and have a drink. There’s a real respect for the artistry of the musicians.” I noticed the exquisite skill of their fingers, new sounds, closed eyes and couldn’t help but smile at the odd passers-by trying to sneak a peak at the sounds seeping out through the shutters. 

Last band of the night were the Pequeña orquesta de trovadores, who hit just the right level of cute. They are hard to describe but a New Orleans band mashed with a drunken hoe-down full of lullabies might do them justice. Insanely pretty people – I now have a girl crush on their singer – their lyrics included, ‘I only have one song, and even that’s not very good.’ We got down to some serious audience participation for the encores, where the final song, ‘Rosa’ was dedicated to another ‘Rosa,’ one of the young artists who’d offered up her shared space to hold the Sofar gig.

Sofar Sounds is growing here. It’s London-based founders Rafe Offer, Dave Alexander and Rocky Start have made something cool and viable. Local volunteers create beautiful high-quality image galleries and video for each event. They’ve now got the help of financial backers and have started up a licensing arm, Sofar Creative – a music synchronisation service. “We used to mostly approach bands to be part of Sofar,” says Hernan, “but that’s changing now as more people and more bands know about us and so they come to us.”

I’ll be going again (if I can get on the list!), but next time it will be different bands, different people, a different location. It’s a shame that the artist collective I went to will be demolished and turned into flats in nine weeks. But that’s also what made it so special. 

“When you create something with passion and it works really well, then it’s not hard to get people to become part of that,” Hernan told me. And it’s true. It’s not about money. It’s free to go. The bands do it to get closer to their fans and make new ones. It’s all about the passion and that’s coming from a very honest place.

Sofar Sounds occurs once a month. To find out more about Sofar Sounds, visit the website, or this Facebook page for information on Buenos Aires gigs. 

For more information on the bands that played in the latest gig, click on the name – Regazzas, Hernan Segret, Valentin Gomez, Pequeña orquesta de trovadores.

Some of Latin America’s most creative minds have flocked to the Argentine capital to show off their latest innovations in the arts of industrial and product design.

Until Sunday 26th May, the city of Buenos Aires will host the third annual Feria Puro Diseño, attracting hundreds of designers and vendors to debut their work amongst peers and marvelling design fans.

Organisers of the fair say that it “represents the final result of the training, experience, and experimentation” for many designers who work year-round in preparation for the festival. The event not only offers a space for designers to present and sell new inventions and sleek revisions of everyday objects, but also a meeting place in which creative thinkers can express their ideas and experiences as regards product design and challenges of making it in the fields of art and design.

The showcase is the region’s most important design fair, and since its debut in 2011 has brought in over 100,000 visitors each time.

The Indy checked out the affair when doors opened on Tuesday. And, as anticipated, we found that this year’s event is another powerfully diverse and colourful conglomeration of an unimaginable variety of cleverly designed items. Over 300 stands are on exhibit at the ongoing festival, divided into categories: small objects, features, gourmet, clothing, accessories, jewellery, kids’, and representations from different Argentine provinces.

Although fashion designers and stands featuring clothing boutiques are not lacking at the event, they are outnumbered and overshadowed by the plethora of distinctive product designers exhibiting everything from modern furniture to one-of-a-kind ink stamps; from chic pet beds to the ambiguous category of objects referred to as ‘gifts’.

This year, the Feria Puro Diseño is adhering to the general theme of ‘connecting with design’, encouraging guests to come to the fair and experience first-hand some of the latest trends in product design. In the spirit of accessing and relating to design, a series of ‘real connections’, or mini-conferences, will be held throughout the festival for budding designers and fans. Upcoming topics include designing global brands in localised contexts and selling products online.

Several governmental offices are also taking part in this year’s festivities. For example, the Ministry of Social Development is showcasing several product developers whose works comprise a part of larger environmental and social causes like textile recycling, micro financing in rural communities, and gardening for kids in the city. The office aims to foment social responsibility and awareness of pressing issues by uplifting socially conscious designers.

Other participants include gourmet food and coffee vendors and representatives from local art and design schools.

As The Indy browsed through the endless tables of original, unique works on the opening day of the design fair, a couple of locales grabbed our attention.

First off was the impressive array of eccentric furniture and alternative storage spaces that designers had on display, most often either juxtaposing traditional materials in pieces with a modern design or new-age resources with conventional forms. And then there were the pieces that combined both alternative materials with new designs, like an artistically shaped table made of wood from salvaged wine barrels by Carlos Obregón and a translucent pillowcase branded with a philosophical quote about dreams and filled with sawdust, presented by the INTI Observatorio de Tendencias.

One such object designer was ‘brick’ creator Clara Wall. Along with her business partner, Wall builds storage pieces that resemble the shape of a cement block -rectangular with two square openings in the middle. Wall’s pieces are constructed several times larger than actual cement blocks and are covered in fabric for home storage. The designer-entrepreneur explained that the idea is to repeat the figure of the functional and decorative pieces and offer different coverings to match distinctive tastes.

Another highlight at the Feria Puro Diseño is the socially conscious work of cartonero cooperative Amanecer de los Cartoneros. The cooperative is part of the Movimiento de Trabajadores Excluidos (MTE) of the greater Confederación de Trabajadores de la Economia Popular (CTEP) and works with groups of urban recyclers throughout Latin America.

The organisation of cartoneros crafts household objects – like lampshades, stools, and toys – solely from recycled cardboard. Cooperative leader Sergio Sánchez said that the group creates these new products so that the discarded material might be revived to serve a new purpose. The endeavour is also meaningful for the cartoneros who gather materials, design, and create the objects in what Sánchez describes as a project which “for our cartonero family … is really one of social inclusion and a way in which we can move forward.” Amanecer de los Cartoneros hopes that the project will evolve into a fulltime business in the future and aims to pass on everything its members have learned, from design techniques to business strategy, to the younger recyclers.

A final standout design group at this year’s fair is Omnipresentes, a group of young creators who give everyday items an interesting twist. This Argentine design team envisions a product concept, draws up a design, and follows production through to the end. According to group member Franco Rivero, product ideas (like their specially-designed key that opens beer bottles and coffee mug that covers the drinker’s nose with a ceramic pig snout) develop by brainstorming alternative ways for solving everyday tasks in a clever manner. Omnipresentes sees everyday objects as something that can “provide your daily dose of creativity,” and aims to surprise consumers “day to day – by moving you, stealing a smile, or simply grabbing your attention.”

Many more talented industrial and product designers have set up shop at the event, showcasing everything from exquisite and refined household items to silly and rather kitschy random objects -all of which offer some sort of distinguishing flair.

The Feria Puro Diseño runs from 21-26th May between 1pm-10pm. The fair is located at La Rural exhibition hall at Av. Sarmiento 2704 near Plaza Italia. Entrance is $35. For more information visit the website, email info@feriapurodiseno.com.ar, or call +54-11 4346-0155.