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| Isabella Lorenz |
NEW YORK, NY –
March 5, 2024 – In partnership with the NGO Casa Congo and Nicaraguan
women’s collective Las Tejedoras,
Unispace’s Art for
Impact (AFI) program has helped to
design and produce 30 unique tapestries for the offices of more than 20 global
brands, including Unispace clients Zoom, Ford, and Deckers Brands, along with
its own studio locations across Europe.
 |
| Senelia del Socorro Vargas Sevilla |
The one-of-a-kind tapestries were
designed by Unispace and woven by Las Tejedoras using more than 50,000 recycled
plastic bags that once littered the coastal areas in Nicaragua. Today, the art
pieces serve as inspiration for individual and corporate action in
environmental conservation and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
(DEIB).
A
local collective of 17 women, Las Tejedoras has been crafting art from the
waste on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua since 2007. When they started, the
beach was so overrun with plastic it was affecting tourism, the local economy,
and posing a serious threat to marine species – specifically the turtles that
use the beach for nesting.
In
2018, Nicaraguan NGO Casa Congo, which is focused on climate change and local
socio-economic development, began a collaboration with Las Tejedoras to provide
pro-bono business tools and training to help the art collective expand the
reach of their art worldwide.
 |
| Nicholas Kaspareck |
“Las
Tejedoras is a group of incredibly resilient women, and we wanted to find ways
to enable them to take their vision and passion to the next level,” said Nicholas
Kaspareck, Co-Founder & CEO, Casa Congo. “That’s where the partnership
with Unispace came in.
"The
more tapestries we produce and sell, the cleaner Nicaragua’s environment is
going to be, and the more opportunities we’re creating for the local women.”
Unispace
joined the fold in 2021, forming a partnership with both organizations to
design an impact-driven product for the office sector through the firm’s Art
for Impact (AFI) program.
AFI
helps Unispace clients bring their organizational DEIB and culture stories to
life through partnerships with local artists, creating bespoke art that builds
lasting community impact and memorable workplace experiences for employees
aligned with each company’s goals and values.
 |
| Chely Wright |
“By
building relationships with community agencies like Las Tejedoras and Casa
Congo, we are providing clients like Zoom a framework, the tools and thought
partnership to harness who they are and who they aspire to be; ultimately
manifesting their stories in the physical space to drive cultural change, and
create rich new experiences for their people,” said Chely Wright, Chief
Diversity Officer, Unispace.
“At
the same time, this initiative promotes economic independence and social equity
for the women of Las Tejedoras and a cleaner, safer environment for the turtle
population in the area.”
In
Zoom’s London office, one of Las Tejedoras bespoke art pieces adorns the wall.
Made from 3,500 recycled plastic bags, it serves as a physical manifestation of
the company’s brand and core value of care, including caring for the planet and
its communities.
“In
redesigning Zoom offices across EMEA, including our London Experience Center
& Engagement Hub, it was a top priority to ensure our value of care – for
the planet and our communities – was reflected in the physical space,” said Izabella
Lorenz, Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy, Zoom.
“We
wanted to ensure our spaces serve as venue for community, connection and
inspiration, and our partnership with Casa Congo and Las Tejedoras – envisioned
and enabled by Unispace – allowed us to do just that.”
Art
for Impact’s work with Las Tejedoras has now been recognized as a champion for
sustainability within the office workplace sector with an award from The Sustainable
Design Collective, and the program has enabled the women
of Las Tejedoras to better support their families, invest in higher education
for their children, and improve their daily lives.
“This
has been a source of pride for us as Nicaraguan women to be able to protect our
wildlife and natural habitat more broadly through our work,” said Senelia
del Socorro Vargas Sevilla, President of Las Tejedoras Cooperative. “Not
only have we helped to rid our beautiful coast of harmful plastic bags, but it
has also provided me with a sense of greater purpose and means of income that I
didn't have before.”
Learn more about how
the Unispace Art for Impact program helps connect companies with their
community through DEIB-focused art here.
About
Unispace Group
Unispace
Group is a global commercial strategy, design, and construction leader creating
people-centric spaces with purpose across offices, life sciences facilities,
hospitality and sports venues and retail spaces.
Brands
in the portfolio include experience design agency Downstream, laboratory
fit-out specialist Unispace Life Sciences, and workplace design-build firm
Unispace.
Some
of the biggest companies in the world are among its clients, including Hugo
Boss, Biogen, Tata Consultancy Group, Boston Scientific, Orrick, and Las Vegas
Raiders, to name a few. They have a presence across 25+ countries, and 800+
employees across the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
About
Casa Congo
Casa
Congo is a sustainability hub in El Astillero, Nicaragua, where local
communities and international experts come together to create projects that
address challenges in climate change, social inequality, and economic
development.
Casa
Congo is supporting the growth of Las Tejedoras by providing seed funding,
operational training, product design and developing a global marketplace to
showcase their talent.
Las
Tejedoras, "The Weavers,” are a collective of 17 women in El Astillero who
transform recycled plastic bags into artworks and fashion accessories. Their
motto is "1 bolsa meno, 1 tortuga mas" (1 less plastic bag, 1 more
turtle).
