Baba Vacaro, Marcos Sancowski, Olivier Raffaelli and Maria Helena Estrada, Arc Design’s publisher, visited the London Design Week on invitation by the British Council in São Paulo
SURROUNDING DESIGN – page 24 In this issue, instead of criticizing the 19th Museu da Casa Brasileira Design Award, we have chosen to reproduce some definitions or reflections about international design that, we believe, can clarify the essence, objectives and responsibilities of contemporary design By the Editorial Staff “To design is given the task of equally avoiding penury and waste, the lack and redundancy of information.” Giulio Carlo Argan, in the book “Art History as City History” (Editora Martins Fontes, São Paulo, 2005). “Curiosity is the main tool of our work. The rest comes later.” Paolo Ulian, in the book “Sale Fino: nuovi sapori dal design italiano” (Editrice Abitare Segesta, Milan, 2005). “Perhaps design is simply a matter of permeability in relation to what surrounds us: letting it flow, not looking immediately for answers, not establishing definitions, not reconducting totality towards prefixed schemes. Not using old words to describe what is new.” Giulio Iachetti + Matteo Ragni, in the book “Sale Fino: nuovi sapori dal design italiano” (Editrice Abitare Segesta, Milan, 2005). “We are not looking for styles – the world only moves when we are capable of changing the meaning of our surroundings.” Marcel Wanders, in the book “Wanders Wonders, Design for a New Age” (010 Publishers, Rotterdam, 1999). “Important is not the nature of design rules, because these change along time, but the value of the idea behind design.” Renny Ramakers & Gijs Bakker, in the book “Droog Design, Spirit of the Nineties” (010 Publishers, Rotterdam, 1998). “All thinking worthy of the name now must be ecological.” Lewis Mumford, cited by Victor Papanek in “The Birth of a New Aesthetic”, article published in the catalogue of the Re(f)use exhibition (Arango Foundation, 1996). “Dear industrial leaders, risk and dream once again, opening the doors to the new intelligences and variable temperatures of the world. (...) What’s missing are that courage and that passion.” Beppe Finesse, in the book “Sale Fino: nuovi sapori dal design italiano” (Editrice Abitare Segesta, Milan, 2005).
English Version
DESIGN IN FOUR ELEMENTS – page 28 Earth, water, fire and air. The four elements of nature were the theme of the exhibition “Elementos Suecos” (Swedish Elements), presented by the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish Institute at the Sixth International Biennial Exhibition of Architecture, in São Paulo Winnie Bastian “Nature is a theme very close to the Swedish spirit, and designers are inspired by it.” This statement is from Colombian industrial designer Margarita Matiz Bergfeldt, who has been living in Sweden for seven years. It was from the veneration the Swedish have for nature that Margarita, curator of “Swedish Elements”, had the idea of structuring the exhibition – with eighty-four products – centralizing the four elements: earth, fire, water and air. The idea was to exhibit pieces of different natures and conceived to a very diverse public, in a way to show Swedish design as widely as possible, from handcrafted
products to highly industrialized ones, including even art works. Furniture, security equipment, tools, decorative objects, packages, sport gear, fabrics, means of transportation and rehabilitation equipment: the contrast among the products – unified by the thematic “four elements” – made part of the strategy to show the power of Swedish design and to stress how design is incorporated in the daily life of the country’s inhabitants, not restricted to specific sectors or privileged social extracts. The importance of design in Sweden is reinforced by the promotion, in 2005, of the Year of Design, a governmental initiative which seeks to achieve the population’s consciousness of the contribution design can make to society. For more details about the exhibition, visit the website: http://www.nopicnic.com/elementos/Elementos_Suecos.html
MAISON & OBJET – page 32 The most important French event of the international design cycle took place between 2 and 6 September. During our visit to the fair, we highlighted the presence of Brazilian professionals, especially invited, and a new Belgian company that believes in the success of products with fine irony Winnie Bastian In this edition of Maison & Objet, the exhibition “Talents a la Carte” elected Brazilian design as a theme: Bernando Senna, Domingos Tótora, Estúdio Manus, José Marton, Rogério Rykovsky and Rô Thibau were the representatives of the national design, and did it well. Besides calling the attention of visitors, the products – and designers – attracted the specialized media. Marton was one of them, with the Entrelinhas collection, executed through a delicate and exclusive process of continuous improvement. The designer from São Paulo was interviewed by magazines from France (12!), Belgium, England and Japan. An excellent opportunity for the diffusion of the good Brazilian design. The work of Domingos Tótora also deserves highlight. Resident in the small city of Maria da Fé (Minas Gerais), Tótora develops his pieces “inspired by nature” and chose recycled paper as material, be it Kraft, newspaper, cardboard or even cement sack paper. His creative work transforms the “poor” matter in valuable objects. Another highlight chosen by ARC DESIGN is the new company Vlaemsch, recently founded by designer Casimir, one of the most outstanding Belgian professionals of his generation. Humor, simplicity, firmness and productive quality are among the principles of Vlaemsch, which edits products of designers from all around the world, “as long as they are coherent with our philosophy”, explains Casimir. Pay attention to him…
EXPERIMENTA DESIGN 2005 – page 34 The role of design as a medium (and matter) of communication was the theme of the third Lisbon Biennale: Experimenta Design (EXD), carried out from 15 September to 30 October 2005. During this period, what was supposed to be simply a theme – “The Medium is the Matter” – took over the streets, involved people in their communicative relationships and inverted roles: EXD looked at the public as if it were the repertoire through which the whole program of the biennale could be built. Among exhibitions, conferences with renowned people in the world of design, urban interventions and tangible projects, experiencing design – more than just observing it – was within reach of whoever would pass by Lisbon. Needless to say, communication design was the driving force of this biennale’s edition. Not by coincidence, one of the most interesting exhibitions – Catalysts – was devoted to this segment, raising communication design to the position of catalyst-element of the communicative process success. Four exhibitions were added to Catalysts to compose a multi-angular picture of contemporary design and architecture: [P], a collection of the production of Portuguese design – product, graphics, editorial, fashion; S´Cool Ibérica, a selection of what is good and new in the academic production from Portugal and Spain; Casa Portuguesa, which presented new habitation proposals performed by national architecture offices and My World, New Crafts, responsible for approaching the possible dialogue between handicraft and industrial production in design