The cidade gráfica exhibition was curated by the designers Celso Longo, Daniel Trench and Elaine Ramos, and explores with the relationship between urban life and contemporary Brazilian graphic design. The purpose of the event is to highlight critical, creative and poetic ways of seeing the city of São Paulo.
In contrast to most exhibitions, the displayed works did not follow a standardised format, requiring an unusual way of thinking: The exhibition design would require its own distinct presence in order to unify this heterogeneous content.
The varied characteristic of the work therefore necessitated a minimal intervention that could still offer a sense of unity and spatial cohesion whilst remaining relatively neutral. At the same time it would have to be flexible enough to adapt itself to each different typology of work.
The final project consisted of a modular system that was totally independent of the existing structures of the building. It was made up of typological families of elements, grouped in a systematic way, providing the minimum of surface for the display of the work.
These are not conventional panels, where the structure is hidden behind MDF and paint. In this project all structure is immediately apparent, so you can always see how pieces fit together. In this way, the panels play their part in the visual ‘set’ of the exhibition. In addition, all these structures are very thin, reinforcing the minimalistic concept of the project. The system is self-supporting – this appears as a whole, a unity in space.
technical information
Project Start: 2014
Project Completion: 2015
Design Team: Martin Corullon, Gustavo Cedroni, Helena Cavalheiro, Juliana Ziebell, Marina Pereira