Gerard Minakawa ’97 ID is taking his love of bamboo to new heights. Literally. The son of Bolivian and Argentinean immigrants, he lives in Bolivia, is a consultant for Aid To Artisans and is designing a sustainable furniture line with indigenous craftspeople.

In April he and his partners at Bamboo DNA built an amazing bamboo installation at the Coachella music and art festival in Indio, CA. At 90 feet tall by 96 feet wide, their Bamboo Starscraper (pictured above) was remarkably strong and structurally sound, rated for 95 mph winds. They also designed a large portion of the backstage environment, which featured palapas and bamboo lighting, among other interesting details. Bamboo DNA has done similar work at Burning Man and other festivals, and next year hopes to take over more space at Coachella. You can also read more about his latest structural bamboo art at the Santa Barbara Museum of Arts’ June events.

Last year Gerard also led a RISD Wintersession class in La Paz, Bolivia, where students worked on developing new products for international markets. You may have also seen (or sat on) his bamboo chairs, which are in use at RISD’s Met refectory. Who knows what he’ll grow next as he continues to experiment with what may be the world’s most flexible sustainable material?