Design Map · Eindhoven
Paraiso PfknR
Graduation project by Mia Domenech Puras at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
Caribbean islands are often imagined as tropical paradises, yet in reality Puerto Rico faces worsening energy, water and displacement crises. Framed as economic development, US policies have transformed the island into a tax haven and luxury destination for wealthy investors while making it increasingly difficult for many Puerto Ricans to remain in their homes. Drawing on archival research into tourism, political history and music culture, ‘Paraiso PfknR’ is a multimedia installation that deliberately distorts idealised perceptions of paradise. Sculptures of a palm tree, hibiscus flower, sea urchin and seashell, made using the traditional Puerto Rican craft of papier-mâché, function as speakers. Their bleached surfaces are layered with collages documenting the island’s displacement crisis. A soundscape of protests, political speeches, bomba, plena and reggaeton brings together the contradictory sounds through which Puerto Rico continues to be imagined, contested and experienced.