03.30.16
Sighted
Experiments in Concrete, From a Scandinavian By Way of Brazil
Magnus Pettersen’s experiments in tinted concrete furniture (which is, apparently, becoming a thing) have been fascinating us ever since the Norwegian designer unveiled a pitch-perfect debut collection with his partner Lea Hein at the Stockholm Furniture Fair last year (not to mention the beautiful, blocky, sculptural seat in hues of dusky blue and yellow Pettersen recently launched with Danish design brand New Works). But to delve even deeper into the possibilities of concrete as a raw material and color as an unpredictable intervention, Pettersen recently spent 60 days at a residency in Sao Paulo, Brazil, creating 10 new works in which the brutality of concrete is tempered by the application of organic, painterly swirls of color — in much more vibrant hues than Pettersen is typically known for.
The residency, conceived by curator and designer Bruno Simões to attract young, international designers to Brazil, gave Pettersen a new perspective; the new pieces, writes Simões “are a reflection of the designer’s experience in a city of contrasts where, under the concrete horizon, people of all types circulate uneven sidewalks that change color and texture all the time, while trees burst through streets and walls in a sort of battle for space.” The collection is on view at an exhibition in Sao Paulo until April 16, but we compiled some images of our favorites here.