Legos, Jet Boots and Robots Named Roxie
Quatiica is making our childhood dreams a reality
I remember when my godmother called my mom and I to come over. She was a very stoic woman and rarely got excited about things. Really, the only things I ever remember her getting excited about were these cups she got from Costco that came with attachments, including a slip-on handle and a sippy lid – and this was pre-Stanley cup so I understand her hype now – the Wii Fit, and whatever was in the box sitting on her counter when we walked in. She was an Executive member at Costco, and she relied on their entrance displays like Dimes Square fan-boys rely on internet newsletters to tell them what’s hot. I figured pretty quickly that this box, which she stood next to so smugly, must have been sitting under one of those yellow displays.
She unboxed the device, gently placed it on the ground, and choosing to ignore the instructions altogether, pressed the on button. “Roxie” as she called it, sprung to life. She was so proud. We all stood there for a few moments with a mix of emotions, mostly resembling the mix of discomfort and awe you might feel watching scenes of animal childbirth on Discovery channel, as we watched the little device twitch around like the runt of a tadpole litter. “This is the future”, my godmother was convinced.
This is a future she had been dreaming of since she was a kid, ever since seeing the Jetsons’ cleaning robot on the screen. Her name was Roxie. I never saw the Jetsons, but I understood her sentiment in my own way; I grew up playing Megaman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Super Metroid on a SNES my mom found at a garage sale, assuming that when I was older I would be able to trade in my rollerblades for a pair of jet-boots.
Over time, the form factors of technology have evolved and become seamlessly integrated into our lives, akin to a pair of underwear or a pair of socks. Some of it is scary; sure, AI could take over the world disguised as a pin on our lapel. But for me, it’s still wrapped up in residual good feelings of childhood nostalgia and comforting memories of shows and movies and games that painted pictures of a utopian future filled with technology.
These feelings are resurfaced when I see things like MSCHF’s Big Red Boots – despite the small omission of the jets that made Astro Boy’s shoes something to envy – and when I see Quatiica’s cyber-wear head-gear. These designs, which feel very reminiscent of Sunday morning cartoons and Lucky Charms, are on the rise it seems.
I got to sit down with Tomás Correia, the 21 year old artist from Portugal and founder of Quatiica, to talk about the recent re-emergence of sci-fi-inspired design. As someone who’s creativity was sparked by Legos, we naturally tip-toed into conversations about our favorite shows from growing up, speculative design, navigating the equilibrium between technology and nature, and the tangled-and-twisted mix of angst and excitement we feel about the future.
You use the word “cyber-ware”. What does this mean and how is it related to Quatiica? Tell me more about the vision behind the brand you’re building?
I have different goals for my brand, but one of them is to make accessories that people can wear in their everyday lives. I want Quatiica to have an identity that feels like a mix between cyber/tech and bio/nature/fluid elements. The word Quatiica comes from the Portuguese word “aquática”, which means aquatic. A big inspiration for my designs comes from the biodiversity in water.
Although super futuristic, your designs carry a lot of nostalgic value. I could envision them showing up in the worlds of Power Rangers, Transformers, Astro Boy, Kyodai Hero – all the shows and movies I grew up watching. Shoot, even Star Wars. You must’ve been inspired by some of these worlds. Which were you inspired by the most?
The movies, TV series and games I get most of my inspiration from are: Invizimals, Gormitis and Lego Bionicles, all of which were a big part of my childhood.
Speaking of childhood shows and movies, I think of all of the gadgets people dreamed up to be in those universes and that I grew up wishing one day would become reality. If you had to pick a few gadgets or objects that haven’t come to fruition yet, which would you wish to be real tomorrow?
I’d love to have a digital wardrobe – a place where you could store your clothes digitally and click to wear what you want.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s speculative. At the same time, I imagine this distinction might matter less and less going forward, assuming 3D printing gets better and/or time in virtual worlds increases. I love that Blender and other 3D software are becoming more accessible and approachable too, which might contribute to this. But what’s your take on speculative design and world-building? How has it contributed to you starting your brand?
Every good idea, design or product is always a concept or speculative design first. I feel like it's the first step in a possible future.
Most of my creations are just concepts of an object or thing that could exist, and sometimes they stay that way because we don't have the technology to create them yet or because I don't have the means to produce them. But, at the end of the day, I consider them pieces of art, and to me, art is timeless. But I always love to turn ideas or sketches into real objects or products – it gives me so much joy when I'm able to do it.
How big is 3D printing as a part of your process?
3D printing is something I want to incorporate more into my work because it's one of the ways – or the only way – to bring some of my designs to reality. Most of the designs you see on my social media are 3D renders.
The Sony headphone attachments are the first product you’ve launched and that people can purchase, right? I feel like there are other designers who similarly have been inspired by headphones, like @hyalocaloffgod. What makes headphones such a good vehicle for design and expression?
Headphones are a really cool thing to design attachments for because they hold the designs to your face and you don't need to worry much about comfort or ergonomics. Also they just aesthetically look cool.
I also recently saw a Fujifilm helmet you designed – which I honestly need whenever those go into production. I don’t know why my mind goes to the game Cyberpunk and the idea of robotic enhancements when I see all of these things, but ultimately I think we’ll see a new whole avenue of expression opening up once technology and material expression start to combine in more tangible ways. Ignoring the potentially dystopian aspect of it for a second, I do wonder if you could design a mecha suit or an “enhanced body” for yourself, how would you choose to express yourself? What 3-4 attachments would you want?
The first thing I’d love to have is something that would allow me to fly, like a jet backpack or some flying boots. That paired with a helmet that could enhance my vision or that has a screen with information, that would be so awesome. I know some of these things already exist but they’re bulky and probably not the most efficient.
Aside from accessories, you’ve also designed characters: mechas like Ruby and Miku. Tell me more about the world you’re building. How would you describe it? Who are these characters?
I really like doing character designs and being able to imagine the characters in our world through editing them into photos, like I did with Ruby and Miku – it’s just really cool to me. Ruby and Miku are two BFF giant mechas. I wanted to make them super playful and funny. One day, I'd love to design more characters for a show or a movie – that would be awesome for me to accomplish.
In general, as technologies like AI begin to become more integrated into our lives through wearables, AR/VR and potentially through more technically advanced enhancements in the future, what do you think separates a utopian from a dystopian version of the world? Have you given much thought to that? What’s your take on wearables, AR/VR and AI and their intersection with design and where that might go?
I’m not very supportive of generative AI and programs like Midjourney and stuff, especially of people that call themselves “AI artists”. Those programs use other people’s work without consent to “create” new images, and to me, that's not ethical. I’m more supportive of AI when it's used to improve certain program’s features or daily life, health and stuff. And AR is something that I see growing a lot in the next few years – it has loads of possibilities.
With all this new technology coming out, some people – including me – might get scared or overwhelmed by the idea that we could lose the natural aspect of our lives – that we won’t be able to maintain the equilibrium between technology and nature and that we might just all become robots and the human species will become extinct. But I don’t believe that's going to happen – I believe the world will benefit.