Havaianas

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Solitário necklace, Oiti for Ronaldo Fraga

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Arapuca Shelf, Rodrigo Almeida

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Pindorama vinyl tablecloths, Marcelo Rosenbaum

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Consul Washing Machine, Consul

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Bananaplac, Fibradesign

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flyers for Fernando Gabeira's campaign for mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Tátil Design

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ZigZag Hanger, Nódesign

Quará hangers, Nódesign

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Gadget Shelf, Bernardo Senna for Tok&Stok

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"Jalapa" Project, Piracema Design Lab

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Condiment Jars, O Imaginário for CIV

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Limited edition Lacoste polo shirt, Fernando and Humberto Campana

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Rendeira Lounge Chair, Flávia Pagotti Silva

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I first knew of Gerson Oliveira and Luciana Martins’ work when I assisted Guta Moura Guedes on the research for the &Fork book back in 2006. Their studio is called ,Ovo, and I had it on my São Paulo list from early on. I arrived at their Vila Olímpia address quite late in the day (7pm is actually night time in the Autumn), and managed to have a great chat with Gerson – Luciana said hi on her way from a meeting to a dinner.

Luciana and Gerson’s studio is found upstairs from the store/gallery that works as a showroom of their work and a space for exhibitions and events. Gerson first guided me through their design, particularly their brand new collection of cabinet units and sofas, of which I immediately became a great fan. Then we stepped inside and sat down, we talked extensively about their references – most of which come from Brazilian contemporary art – but also about how they themselves cross the thin line of design and art with their work for museums and galleries. Two of their designs have also recently been the focus of a Master thesis dissertation.

I was really taken however  on Gerson’s perspective regarding their design/business model. Instead of working for manufacturers, ,Ovo has been developing their own brand. They therefore work with manufacturers, not for them – they are the end client, making the manufacturer more of a partner/supplier. ,Ovo manages the whole process, from design to production, from distribution to marketing and sales. Given the scale and complexity of most of their designs, it sounds like quite an undertaking. But this is something that, according to Gerson, has been a feature of Brazilian furniture design for decades – from Joaquim Tenreiro to Sérgio Rodrigues, from Carlos Motta to Humberto and Fernando Campana – and has worked perfectly well for them thus far. But with growing international exposure and an ever more diversified – and refreshing – body of work, I’d be curious to see if things won’t change for ,Ovo in the near future.

After meeting the Campanas at MAM we had a walk around the Ibirapuera Complex, went inside the Oca and Auditorium buildings and then got a cab to Unique, the fancy hotel designed by Ruy Ohtake. Paul stayed to talk to Ohtake, but I got picked up by Leo and we went back to Jardins. I needed to change my flight to Porto Alegre and Curitiba (yes) and get a Brazilian cellphone SIM card (no).

After walking down Óscar Freire street and catching the bus to Itaim Bibi (talk about three different São Paulos), I only managed to meet Rodrigo Almeida at his place well after 6h30pm. Rodrigo walked and talked me through some of his furniture work found in his living room, and then we sat down in two of his chairs and talked. For a really long time. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in Lisbon next month. Marca as passagens Rodrigo!

After a few days of Brazilian hardcore industrial design, it was great to switch gears and meet another kind of designer. First, a guided visit by Fernando and Humberto Campana to the show they curated, “Jardim de Infância” (Kindergarten) a selection of artworks from MAM‘s, (the Modern Art Museum of São Paulo) collection. Humberto left for a dentist appointment, but after we visited the Burle-Marx retrospective I later had lunch at the museum’s great restaurant with some of MAM’s staff and also Paul Makovsky and Roberto Cocenza, who kindly arranged for our meet-up. Valeu Beto!

I won’t make it to Weil-am-Rhein for the Fernando and Humberto Campana 20-year retrospective, but its rich catalogue is already on its way to Lisbon. Looking forward to reading the essays from curator Mathias Schwartz-Clauss, Maria Helena Estrada, Massimo Morozzi, and Adélia Borges. Dezeen has a pretty comprehensive coverage of the show.