GUARANA CURIOSA

Guaraná Curiosa, or the Curious Guaraná, is a grand mobile light fixture suspended on the ceiling. This fixture's base is inspired by artist Alexander Calder’s Mobile, however instead of a dark metal, I have decided to use wood to give this fixture not only a warmer tone but also a connection to the woods of the Amazons. The lower section of the fixture displays hanging glass vines representing the luscious foliage of the Amazon rain forest, with delicate lights representing the Brazilian fruit called Coquinho, or Butia Capitata. The main light display includes 19 round LED bulbs encased by a white and red coated metal to represent the famous Amazonian fruit, Guaraná. The eyes are where the bulbs lie. The total fixture measures 25 feet wide by 20 feet long. The Guaraná bulbs are designed to move and therefore can act like spotlights

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Guaraná Curiosa connects the calm, sereneness of nature to the ever changing, fast paced, modern life. The metaphorical use of fruits and nature help make this piece undeniably Brazilian. The use of a mobile inspired by Calder's modern art along with its grandness and materiality is what makes this piece truly modern. This juxtaposition helps to create a warm and elegant environment.

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Created during my Spring semester of my Sophomore year at FIT, this was the second project in my Studio class. We were to create some sort of light fixture, be that a pendant, a chandelier, lamp, etc., inspired by a famous chef of our choice which would then be used in our final project for the semester, a restaurant, also inspired by a famous chef. You can see my restaurant here, called PAULISTA.

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My light fixture was inspired by famous Brazilian chef Alex Atala. Alex Atala is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and he is known for his upscale restaurant D.O.M. (Deo Optimo Maximo, which could be translated as 'To God, The Good, The Great'.) His restaurant was the first restaurant in Brazil to be awarded with two Michelin stars and is currently considered the 9th best restaurant in the world by S. Pellegrino “World´s 50 Best Restaurants” So what makes Atala's restaurant so unique? Well Atala has traveled into the Amazons to find Brazil's hidden ingredients. In his journeys, he found ants, a type of cacao called capuacu, a type of root called priprioca which is typically only used by the cosmetic industry, and he continues to find many more. He chose to use these ingredients to help connect the Brazilian to its native land. His mission is to take people out of their comfort zones and to help them experience something new; to experience new flavors. Alex Atala uses both traditional and modern techniques to help create these experiences.