The Brazilian Exhibition

 

City of Sex by Igor de Vetyemy

 

The Brazilian Exhibition as part of the LFA will take place at Galeria 32, the Brazilian Embassy’s exhibition space.

 

The exhibition will run from 20 June to 20 July 2008, and throughout its duration the exhibition, as well as the orientation of its design in relation to the displayed objects – physical models and installations – will propose a temporary modification of the gallery’s exhibition space.

Cru:Raw

The Brazilian proposal for the exhibition seeks to explore the main theme Fresh! interpreted as “Raw”, in Brazilian architecture interpreted as non-diluted, non-processed.  The space will be open to buildings and spatial experiments daring to propose new visions, thus challenging the way Brazilians live today.  Architects can propose social change through urban routes, interdisciplinary partnerships and still serve and communicate with the public.  Change much like transformation is uncertain, sometimes unpredictable, however fundamentally they can encourage social progress.  Just Like the ‘Parangole’ by Brazilian artist Helio Oiticica, the selected projects will present new urban scenarios, ambiguous solutions and invigorating new ideas.

The exhibition will present the vision for a new architecture imagined by young architects and also those who are experienced.  The most important aspect to the participating architects will be the invitation to approach social and economical questions, guided not only by the demands of the market, but by those defining a new market, a more ethical and social one.

Consequently the exhibition will be presented less as a container for national architectural production, but as a portal for talented Brazilian architects, exhibiting what they have accomplished as well as their vision of a nearby future.

In a time when social and political participation is every day farther removed from contemporary architect’s agendas, the Exhibition at the Brazilian Embassy as part of the LFA opens up an essential space for debate.

 www.brazil.org.uk

www.lfa2008.org

Galapagos : BHZ Brasil / Scope

The Aesthetics from our Ethics

Fernando Maculan & Mariza Machado Coelho . architects

Many architects, artists and designers dedicate a long time, or even a lifetime, to building an aesthetic signature, through a particular exercise of form lapidation that can make their work recognizable, strongly connected to the author.

We consider variation as the most challenging and delightful resource of our work. Working for different people, with different people; dealing with changing subjects, in changing places; adapting materials, tools and techniques; understanding traditions, behaviors and identifying expectations for the future. We believe that all this richness of possibilities can originate a profusion of forms that should reveal much more the user than the author.

Other very important aspect in our practice is collectivity. We discovered very early that to be involved in collaborative and inclusive design projects is the best way to keep studying while working. We believe that deep communication between people involved in a design process is a need if you mean to reach democratic solutions, especially in Brazil, where the cultural and social realities are so diverse and the demands for a design solution are increasingly complex. Our commitment is more and more related to the overall process that involves the design we are thinking about.

Sometimes people ask us about our aesthetics approach. Aesthetics is, of course, a major matter in our work. But once our ethics is satisfied, the aesthetics is already there.

www.galapagos.art.br

Galapagos / About

Galapagos is an integrated creative council in architecture, design and technology fields based in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The group was founded in 2008 as the fusion of 3 relevant firms in Brazil: A&M Architecture (since 1990), with Fernando Maculan and Mariza Machado Coelho; Hardy Design (since 2003), with Mariana Hardy and Cynthia Massote; and Voltz Design (since 1996), with Alessandra Maria Soares and Cláudio Santos.

Through the creative council dynamics, all the partners and special guests work collaboratively over architecture projects, urban planning, interior design, events, stage sets, graphic design, product design, signage, web design and audiovisual solutions.

The GALAPAGOS partners are known though several national and international prizes and publications in architecture and design.

The works presented in the London Festival of Architecture are results of the association with the architect Rafael Prates Yanni, in the Beco São Vicente – Aglomerado da Serra, and with the designers Heloísa Crocco and Marcelo Drummond, in the Morada Brasil project.

www.galapagos.art.br