Black and gold colors on a turquoise background indicate that we have arrived at Miriam’s stall. Since she discovered the infinite possibilities of working with recycled materials, she has been developing different techniques and applications for twelve years.
He works with various types of recycled materials, such as truck tires, zippers, bike chains, bike tires, sprockets, metric belts… and everything he creates, he does it by hand.
What does it mean for Miriam to be an artisan?
She tells us that being a craftswoman for her is much more than a way of life or a profession; for her, being able to dedicate herself to what makes her happy is the most important thing.
The craft is her everyday life and with jokes she confesses that it is also her night to night. Since she has spent the night producing and was at her little market stall without being able to sleep. ‘This is the life of the craftsman’, she tells us with a somewhat tired smile.
How do you see craftsmanship today?
Like a constant struggle with the foreign market. Crafts and handmade products cannot compete in the market with the prices and products that come from outside.
She tells us, concerned, that the future of everyone is in our hands, because if we manufacture and buy everything abroad, we would all be left without jobs. “If we produce and buy in Spain, it would be much better and we could not complain about the situation we are living in.”
How were your beginnings?
Miriam, who lives and creates in Ibiza, studied design at the Higher School of Art and Design of Valencia, and focused her final degree project on working with recycled materials. She enjoyed it so much that she got more and more involved, to the point that she has been working with these materials for over 12 years to create handicrafts.
What does it mean for her to sell her product at the Hippy Market?
Before answering, Miriam smiles at us with her whole face and especially with her gaze, simply saying: “I love it.”
The Hippy Market gives you the opportunity to be dedicated and to live off of what you are truly passionate about, and there is no price that can pay for that. Despite the great effort, little economic remuneration, and sleepless nights, it is something that makes you enjoy every day of your life.