Brazil

Desmatamento

Since 2004, deforestation rates have decreased by 80% in Brazil. Despite these reductions, deforestation is still a challenge in the Amazon rainforest. That is why Brazil has committed to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030 and to recover an area of forests the size of England. David Elia’s goal in creating Desmatamento (or Deforestation) is to share the beauty and significance of Brazil’s rainforest not only to Brazil, but to the rest of the world. 

The installation is based on the design of Elia’s Desmatamento stool (2013) and uses the stumps of found tree trunks to represent the breathtaking surroundings of the Mata Atlântica rainforest, which stretches along the east coast of Brazil. The design evokes the topography of the forests, where various sizes and shapes of plants coexist, and is inspired by the work of iconic Brazilian landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx, who was a pioneer of the conservation of Brazil’s rainforests. The ultramarine blue pigment at the base of the trunks echoes the mark used by forest wardens to indicate trees that are to be saved.

Beyond its symbolic resonances, Deforestation is intended to capture the sense of being in a rainforest. A bespoke aroma ‘creates an imaginary portal into the Mata Atlântica’, immersing visitors in this fragile ecosystem.

Credits:

• Designed by David Elia Design Studio