Brazilian Art, Design and Craftsmanship

CIRCULAR DESIGNART
Written By Nina Zulian
 
 
“I’m a mix of artist, designer, and craftsman.”
— explains Domingos Tótora

Domingos Tótora

The Brazilian designer creates artistic furniture and decorative objects produced from recycled cardboard.

Born in Minas Gerais, Domingos Tótora studied design in São Paulo.

Noticing the sheer amount of cardboard discarded in the streets, Tótora was dedicated to creating a new way of using waste paper and, from his researches and experiments, developed a cellulose plaster. With the use of water, glue and natural pigments, it can be molded into new shapes. Through this sustainable process, he turns the waste cardboards into a wood-like material.

“In a certified sustainable process, recycled cardboard is broken up into small pieces and turned into a pulp that serves as the base material for furniture, objects and sculptural pieces that are molded by hand, dried in the sun and finished to perfection. In this beautiful and labor-intensive process, the cardboard which originated as wood essentially is brought back full cycle by taking on a wood-like quality again. We believe sustainability happens through actions and not words” explains the designer.

"Domingos's creations are emotions in movement." (Silvana Tótora) Born and raised in Maria da Fé, a city in the mountainous region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Domingos Tótora chose cardboard as the source material for his work. The beauty of his work not only manifests in the final product but in the process itself. From the artist's philosophy and respect for the environment to his production process, everything translates Domingos's sensitivity, awareness, and deep connections to his roots. In his studio, recycled cardboard is broken up into small pieces and turned into a pulp, which serves as the base for his art pieces. Objects and environment make it clear that this isn't an obsessive search for perfection. Imperfection is a constitutive part of his work. In the artist's words: "I dialogue with the mass of cardboard until the moment that only it speaks. Then I let myself take until I finish the piece. I do not just design; I look for the emotion before even the function." Being an established artist and designer in Brazil, Domingos has extensively presented his work in his home country. In addition to that, he has also exhibited in the Netherlands, Paris, and England, among other countries in Europe. Domingos was featured in the most relevant design publications, such as Architectural Digest and Wallpaper magazine, and his iconic piece, Terrão Bench, was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2017. About the film Âmago – The Essence of Time The word âmago in Portuguese means the essence, core, or soul—the most intimate part of someone or something. Despite the difficulties in finding its correspondent in the English language, there is no better word to describe the work of Brazilian artist Domingos Tótora. To comprehend Domingos' work fully, it's necessary to consider the essential, which can only be accessed through the emotional connections developed with a place or with someone. Through his art, Domingos can not only reach the essential but also has the generosity to share it with the world.
 

Rodrigo Ambrósio

Rodrigo Ambrósio, from Alagoas, managed to combine all the technical knowledge of his education as an architect and urbanist with northeastern Brazilian thinking. His inspiration is based on a strong influence of local culture and craftsmanship and, according to him, "my land is where I recharge my energies and references."

He brought from memory, images, experiences and threw new lights on them, using the local materials available and creating a unique aesthetic, modern, contemporary and timeless design.

Chair Engenho

The versatility of the designer proves that it is possible to create a design with any material as is the case of the chair named Engenho.

Rapadura is unrefined cane sugar that preserves the natural caramel taste of the sugar. It is typical of the northeast of Brazil; the Rapadura is manufactured in small sugar mills named Engenho.

The concept of your piece is to transform the energetic food made from sugarcane into a chair design.

Like the process of producing Rapadura the sugarcane is processed at high temperatures until it becomes a broth, cooks until it boils and evaporates. Finally, it comes to the right point to become resistant. During his exhibition the chair could be tasted and eaten by visitors.

 

INFO

Words:

Sueli Zulian and Nina Zulian

Domingos Tótora

https://www.domingostotora.com.br/

https://www.instagram.com/domingostotora/

Photos:

Domingos Tótora

Rodrigo Ambrósio

http://www.rodrigoambrosio.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ambrosio/

Photos:

Rodrigo Ambrósio

Nina Zulian https://pluralmagazine.net
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