Info - Introduction
Who?
Hello,
I'm Marcos Silva, and for three decades, I've designed machines and industrial installations. While that work has always been a key part of my life, I've also cultivated a deep passion for science fiction and the visual aesthetics it explores.
Why Projeto 74?
Projeto 74 came from a desire to create and publish some of my personal projects, that have been floating around in my head for years. I hope to connect with others who have a similar mindset—people who want to share ideas and maybe even build a community.
It's an incredible time to be alive, where ideas can circulate freely and we can absorb them through the web, books, films, and manga, among other media. Even better, we have access to amazing free tools, from operating systems to CAD software, so the possibilities are truly endless.
Throughout my career, I've always worked on projects not aimed at the end consumer. As a result, the visual aspect was often neglected due to cost increases. In short, the project always had to be as cheap as possible while still meeting the technical and safety specifications.
With Projeto 74, I still intend to prioritize low cost, following the functionalist design principle of "Form follows function," but I will never neglect the aesthetic and cultural aspects. After all, throughout history, humankind has always sought beauty—from Sumerian ziggurats and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the pyramids of ancient Egypt. This quest for beauty continued through Classical Greco-Roman and Renaissance art and architecture, which form the visual basis for how we imagine the heavens in Western culture.
The aesthetics of the 70s
I recently rediscovered the 1970s aesthetic in two books:
• How to build your own living structures - Ken Isaacs
• Nomadic furniture - James Hennessey and Victor Papanek
These books are filled with creative and low-cost ideas that can be revisited and are still relevant today. In a world with significant social and economic inequality, simple, innovative, and aesthetically pleasing ideas can become solutions for low-income populations, as well as great business opportunities for those who want to invest in this area.
The Cyberpunk MovementIn addition to the 1970s aesthetic, the Cyberpunk movement has also heavily influenced my ideas. It shows the decay of contemporary society through its dark, noir environments that come from a "High Tech, Low-life" standard. It's a world where megacorporations hold more power than governments and entire populations of people are socially excluded, without access to even the minimum for subsistence.
It's hard to imagine that this was once just science fiction in the 80s. As Bruce Sterling said, "We are not writing fiction but designing the future."
The SolarPunk movementLastly, the Solarpunk movement brings technological solutions that work in harmony with nature. Instead of harming the environment, these solutions are designed to actively improve it, reversing our current course toward the destruction of our "Little Blue Planet".
If you are interested in these projects, please feel free to contact me through the links available on this page or by clicking contact in the navigation bar.
Humble Beginnings
As a pilot project, I'm sharing some studies I've been doing on trucks for longboards. I've redesigned the trucks in several ways: some geometries are designed to improve agility in turns, while others prioritize stability to prevent wobbling—a dangerous oscillation that can occur at high speeds and lead to serious falls.
I'm also studying a "slammed" truck with a steering bar system that, in theory, allows the board to be closer to the ground. The main difficulty is that when the board is this close to the ground, there isn't enough room to lean into a turn. Most current slammed skateboards only have a lowrider aesthetic because the board is attached to the bottom of the hanger, which prevents leaning. I intend to make a video about this soon.
Click on the Trucks item in the navigation bar below to see each truck and a brief explanation of how they work, in addition you will be able to view them in 3D on your computer or mobile phone.
Other Projects I would like to begin in a near future
- Retro-futuristic, Gamer and CyberPunk office furniture
- High fidelity sound systems (HiFi), more specifically in high performance and stylish retro "speakers enclosures"
- Video games, 3D, AR and VR simulations
- Electric Motorcycles, Bikes and Scooters
- Microcars, micro trucks, utility/cargo trailers and other light vehicles
- Tiny Houses
- Etc.
⇨ Leia em português
