Design is...: A Celebration of Brazilian Design

Marcelo Lopes - Merchan Design's Innovative Exhibition Installation

The unique properties of this design lie in its form, a cube, which offers different faces, much like the multifaceted nature of design. The cube was painted in eight vibrant colors, symbolizing the infinite possibilities of creation. Each face of the cube featured portraits of the authors and phrases that define their unique and insightful views about the design universe.

The cubes were made of wood and measured 600mm x 600mm x 600mm. The choice of material and shape was influenced by the need for lightness and ease of assembly and disassembly. The cubes were suspended by steel cables and fastened with nylon thread, creating a constellation of two hundred dangling mobiles that shifted the visitors' experience.

The installation was created in Sao Paolo during the Design Weekend and took three months to organize. The exhibition lasted ten days, slightly longer than the Design Weekend festival. The research for this project focused on the production of the cubes, ensuring they were light, easy to assemble, and disassemble.

One of the creative challenges of this installation was to create a spatial exhibition using two hundred mobiles. The installation was designed to create a moment for everyone to look up, challenging visitors' perspectives as if they were seeking out stars in a constellation. Each cube had its own brilliance, but together they formed a universe to be explored.

"Design is…" was a selection of Brazilian Design group displayed in two hundred colorful mobiles. Each piece, in the shape of a cube, portrayed a different definition of design by creators and creatures from the universe of Brazilian Design, with less than a hundred characters. The installation created a unique experience that challenged visitors’ perspectives. It was a conceptual big bang. The design was awarded Silver in A' Event and Happening Design Award in 2017.