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Historical Rescue, Design and Development of Materials.
A new “face” of Paraense Ceramics
The first collection, in collaboration with Levy Cardoso , comes from a well-known lineage among the artisans of Paracuri, a neighborhood famous for its crafts , such as the family that was a pioneer in the production of clay gourds.
The motivation
The OBAHO collection was born from the need to give a face to master Amazonian ceramists who have preserved, through generations, the ceramic tradition of the original Brazilian peoples and who, even so, suffer from the invisibility of their work. The word "Obá", from Tupi, means "face", combined with a neologism in the spelling of “o barro” which in Portuguese means clay.
The design and development of the collection comes from Guá Arquitetura in conjunction with Levy Cardoso, a local ceramist, son of master Cardoso, a great master who founded the ceramics center in Icoaraci, in Belém do Pará.
The OBAHO Collection method consists of combining: research into new materials; ancestral vernacular knowledge; and design. The objective is to bring more originality to the pieces, thus increasing the average unit sales value and the perception of value by end consumers.
The result are innovative pieces that change the “face” of Pará ceramics, and outline a new horizon for “Paracurí ceramics”. In this way, the project positively impacts the lives of dozens of local potters through Design.
THE CUIA
The first piece in the “OBAHO” collection was named “A CUIA”, a tribute to the versatility of this object in Amazonian culture and the cultural identity of the Amazonians.
The CUIA is a set of 3 pieces of gourds of different sizes, using a natural gourd modeling technique and liquid clay.
A unique and unique piece, because the mold is natural and it is exclusive because no two pieces are alike.
In time: the gourd is the most democratic object of riverside communities: used to give medicine to children, to bathe, to measure flour, to remove water from inside the boat. It is quite symbolic for Brazilian northerners.
A curiosity: with the popularization of a song by singer Joelma in the last 2 months, the word “tacacá” continues to be the most searched for on Google. The delicacy, typical of the Amazon region, is served in a traditional gourd. Another good factor of current relevance, for example.
Luís Guedes and Pablo do Vale are the founding partners of Guá Arquitetura , where they combine their passion for architecture and design with in-depth research into their
regional roots.
Together, they lead the firm in creating projects that reflect not only their technical expertise, but also their connection to the culture and traditions of the Amazon.
Through this work, the architects reaffirm the firm's commitment to honoring and valuing the wisdom accumulated over millennia in Amazonian architecture, ensuring that this rich cultural heritage is preserved and celebrated in Guá Arquitetura's contemporary creations.
Guá Arquitetura e a Cerâmica
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