Materiales y Oficios (MAOF) (“Materials and Crafts”) is a collective that formed to improve the management of waste—organic waste, especially—in Puerto Rico. With its specific focus on collecting fallen trees in urban spaces, MAOF promotes the exploration of historical and everyday uses of wood, often through practices rooted in native traditions, uses, and knowledge of construction methods and materials related to working with tropical woods.
Since the collective’s inception in 2014, Argentinian artist Ramiro Chavez has been documenting MAOF’s efforts, culminating in the publication of MAOF, which includes photographs, drawings, illustrations, diagrams, and Spanish-language texts (with some English translations) by collaborators Federico Herrero, José “Tony” Cruz, Carmela Cruz, Pablo Guardiola, Michy Marxuach, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Ramon Miranda Beltrán, Ulrik López, Michael Linares, and Ernesto Oroza.