The 141 m² artistic space-installation is materialized in terracotta to highlight the historical, cultural and religious importance — and the preservation of Afro-Brazilian memories — in what promises to be one of the show's most sought-after arenas
Architect Alexandre Salles, head of Estúdio Tarimba, presents Terreiro, an artistic space-installation focusing on Afro-Brazilian ancestry, which stands out in the format proposed for the CASACOR São Paulo 2024 edition.
Inspired by the vitality of backyards and terreiros as traditional spaces for social interaction, Salles, who also holds a master's degree in Urban Semiotics from FAU-USP, proposes a contemporary reinterpretation of these environments, emphasizing their historical, cultural and religious importance and the preservation of Afro-Brazilian memories.
The environment is filled with vertical elements that evoke materialities and memories, plants and syncretism in convergence, resulting in a dynamic space for experiences, encounters and learning. It invites visitors to explore and reflect on the richness and contribution of black cultural heritage to Brazil.
The focus is on the Ancestral House, the Ilê, the Home, the Shelter, the Backyard - spaces full of symbolism and meanings that echo down the generations. The research is divided into three essential parts: Origin, Deep Ties and [RE]Existence.
“The terreiro is a meeting place, it's a square and it's directly linked to places of interaction. I also celebrate the terreiro by connecting it to the backyard, which often has this syncretic garden, grandma's garden with flowers and herbs,” explains the architect.
Afro-Brazilian representativeness is emphasized in physical, sensorial and abstract ways, right down to the digital field. In the project, Salles reinvents the materiality of the environment, incorporating symbolic elements, textures and shapes that evoke a visual narrative, highlighting Afro-Brazilian culture and history.
The space is 141 m² and the terracotta hue plays a leading role, appropriating the feeling of stepping on the ground, of the beaten earth, of being at home. “Using tiles and coverings that create this connection with the earth and clay makes perfect sense,” he reflects.
At the entrance, visitors are welcomed by altars that make reference to family and ancestry, a precise amalgamation of this year's CASACOR São Paulo narrative: “The present, the now”.
Then there are the seven days of the week represented by orishas, through design, without explicit images, but with small installations that evoke this type of reference. Then there is the central space that is the protagonist of Terreiro. The environment unfolds in a large circle and will be used as a support for conversation circles and other events under the official CASACOR label.
“We'll have another part that I call Deep Ties, which will be filled with images, plastic art and objects that will bring back a bit of this Afro-Brazilian memory. And I'm also bringing artificial intelligence into the space,” he says.
In this sense, the architect brought to the layout a wall with artificial intelligence code, made by Indio San. The composition refers to the amount of research carried out, based on various references to African cultural heritage and construction technology, and transmutes it into an archaeological element of the future, thus proposing an interesting dialog with the contemporary learnings of now.
There is also the installation Sewing Time, a tribute to the matriarchs, the mothers, symbols of the knowledge of African ancestry, referenced by the manuality of cooking, weaving, uniting, generating, singing, dreaming, passing on, in communion with the representativeness of these women in the face of their resilience to the temporality of life.
“We can't reference this terreiro, this yard, without the presence of these women: our grandmothers, our mothers and our great-grandmothers. That's why we ended the journey with artificial intelligence itself, as an invitation to the future, but without forgetting the past. The dream is blue, the threads of all our desires and hopes. Axé,” he reveals.
In the room, the engineering was carried out by BSER Engenharia and RR Construtora, the acoustic lining and curtain were produced by Ladytex, the fabric banners are by Promex Decor, the bamboo structures are by designer Aurélio Pimentel and the landscaping project is by Gil Fialho.
There are also the 100% recycled polyethylene vases by Vasap Design that make up the room, the lighting is by Carlos Fortes Iluminação, the ceramic tiles are by Lepri, the space is painted by Coral paints and the ceramic tiles are by Colormix.
The joinery is by Marcenaria Tamboré and Pipa Movelaria, the metalwork is by Carvalho & Carvalho, LG includes the speakers and LED panels and the plaster is by Gesso Guarapiranga.
Team:
Architect: Architect Alexandre Salles
Photography: Salvador Cordaro
Material Used:
1. BSER Engenharia: Engineering
2. RR Construtora: Engenharia
3. Ladytex: Acoustic Curtains and Clouds
4. Promex Decor: Flags
5. Aurélio Pimentel: Bamboo Structures
6. Gil Fialho: Landscaping
7. Carlos Fortes Iluminação: Lighting
8. Lepri: Ceramic floors
9. Colormix: Screened shard ceramic flooring
10. Marcenaria Tamboré: Joinery
11. Pipa Movelaria: Joinery
12. Carvalho & Carvalho: Locksmith
13. LG: Speakers and LED panels
14. Gesso Guarapiranga: Plaster
15. Coral: Paints
