Raízes e futuro: a brasilidade nas interseções entre o modernismo e a contemporaneidade no design de mobiliário brasileiro

Abstract

The research project is based on a detailed study of the modern and contemporary periods of Brazilian furniture, scrutinizing each period according to its aesthetic, formal, and theoretical characteristics. The study provides a bibliographic description of the history of furniture and draws on the work of renowned designers who spearheaded each period. A priori, in 1950, at the height of modern design, enormous technical innovations emerged on the scene, such as the use of materials and forms that culminated in the works of Joaquim Tenreiro and Jorge Zalszupin, the much-desired concept of Brazilianness, which marks the break from the imported identity reproduced in the country at the time. A posteriori, from 1990 onwards, contemporary design succeeded; in this context, new relationships regarding the use of materials – mainly wood – appeared, which, from that moment on, began to be worked with more social responsibility, multifunctionality, and sustainability, through the use of alternative materials. Following the theoretical development and analysis of the characteristics of the furniture mentioned in the study, a hybrid furniture collection is proposed, based on modernist references in dialogue with contemporary principles, with the aim of guiding possible future studies that rely on similar approaches.