From Pragmatism to Subjectivity: Approaches and Dialogues Between Design and Art

The second direction I observe is that of a design in which the narrative factor stands out: here, furniture, lighting fixtures, and objects become platforms for telling a story and/or conveying a message. In this context, they can evoke sensations ranging from acute strangeness to complete identification—whatever the perception, one thing is certain: the message (whether conceptual, political, or of another nature) has been effectively communicated and established.

This is evident in the Lixo series lamps (2018) by Bianca Barbato, cast in brass from molds made with discarded cans and plastic bottles. Or with the 12 pieces from the Typology of a Second Life series (2021), through which the designer-carpenter Rodrigo Silveira retraces the history of a chair from its origin (the felling of a tree) to the finished product. Another example is Bruno Camarotti, a colleague also specialized in working with wood, who draws on the emotional memory of his native Ceará to create the Ponta Grossa console table (2021), whose design alludes to the cliff of the beach of the same name.

The Abrigo buffet (2020), designed by Maria Fernanda Paes de Barros (Yankatu), stands out for its mats – woven with cabreúva cylinders and cotton threads by the designer herself, following the teachings of the Mehinaku women – which serve as sliding doors. Produced in a limited series of 8 pieces, the buffet “is my way of honoring the Mehinaku people who received and embraced me, who shared ancestral knowledge and stories with me, and taught me to see the world through their eyes,” says Maria Fernanda.

I conclude with the example of the Callas bench (2020), created in collaboration by designers Inês Schertel and Etel Carmona for ETEL and released in a limited series of 15 units. In addition to being entirely handmade (both in the wooden structure and the 400 felt flowers that make up the seat), the concept of slow design also permeates the choice of materials: the wood used is a perobinha-do-campo stored for over two decades in Etel’s collection, while the rustic felt is produced with wool from sheep raised by Inês on her farm in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. A combination that gives the bench, beyond exclusivity, the aura of an artistic object.