David Elia's fantastic first solo show at D'Days Paris
Manifeste Carioca
This week, Paris celebrates its annual D'Days festivities, and the city is awash in design presentations and events. There's one standout we're particularly excited about, though: Manifeste Carioca, the first major solo show by Brazilian designer David Elia (the talent behind Design da Gama). The exhibition, which opened just yesterday, is hosted by the Museum of Decorative Arts and showcases several Elia designs inspired by life in modern-day Brazil.
Elia's work embraces gambiarra—a Portuguese word that refers to an innovative, makeshift problem-solving style common to Brazil, alluding to a lack of standard tools and a tradition of resourcefulness—as well as up-cycling tendencies. “The Carioca spirit is very spontaneous; it represents the capacity to improvise everything at the last minute, and this is the spirit I hope to convey in my designs,” explains Elia. His work explores problematic issues within Brazilian society, including gang warfare, drug trafficking, deforestation, and poor urban infrastructure. Elia's Stray Bullet collection, for example, incorporates a volatile symbol of violence (gold eyelets, representing bullet holes) into ubiquitous objects: monobloc plastic chairs and tables.
We had the pleasure of speaking with the ever-humble Elia in person at Collective during NYC Design Week last month, when the designer (in addition to sweetly plying us with tea and chocolates) showed us his bright white, bullet-ridden Rio de Janeiro, May 2014 installation, which reinterpreted the number of documented violent crimes (210) that occurred in Rio during the month of May, one year prior to the Collective presentation. Golden eyelets were strewn across the installation's backdrop and furniture, each one depicting a specific incident, juxtaposed against the color white, chosen as a symbol of hope. After talking us through Rio, Elia told us just how much it meant to him to be showing at the Museum of Decorative Arts during D'Days: “I'm very happy. . . I'm really looking forward to getting some feedback as well, and showing in a great setting.”
For our part, we say, well done, David! And congratulations!
*Manifeste Carioca is on view now through August 2015. And D'Days continues in Paris through June 7th. For more information, visit ddays.net
Découvrez plus de produits
Vase Stray Bullet par David Elia
Stray Bullet Side Table by David Elia, 2011
Grand Bol de Fruits Multiplastica Domestica en Violet par Brunno Jahara
Grand Bol de Fruits Multiplastica Domestica en Rose par Brunno Jahara
Grand Bol de Fruits Multiplastica Domestica en Vert par Brunno Jahara
Petit Bol de Fruits Multiplastica Domestica en Vert, Blanc et Bleu par Brunno Jahara
Chaise Cadeira Amarela par Paulo Goldstein Studio
Chaise Scarcity de Paulo Goldstein Studio
Chaise Cadeira Azul de Paulo Goldstein Studio
Fauteuil de Réalisateur Rénové par Paulo Goldstein Studio
Chaise Stray Bullet Noire et Argent par David Elia
Coussin Stray Bullet par David Elia
Boîte Conterrâneos par Brunno Jahara
Large Conterrâneos Fruit Tray by Brunno Jahara
Plateau de Fruit Conterrâneos, Taille Moyenne, par Brunno Jahara
Lampe de Bureau Conterrâneos par Brunno Jahara
Bougeoir Conterrâneos par Brunno Jahara
Corbeille à Fruits Multiplastica Domestica Etagée Moyenne en Bleu par Brunno Jahara
Multiplastica Domestica Lamp in Red by Brunno Jahara
Pot Transatlântica Haut par Brunno Jahara
Pot Transatlântica Bas par Brunno Jahara
Stray Paintball Chair by David Elia