Cultures Through Colours

2010 – Brazil, UAE

For the second consecutive year, HSBC has been a principal sponsor of Abu Dhabi Art 2010. The aim in 2010 was to build cultural links between UAE and Brazil by comparing culture through the eyes of the emerging UAE designers. The internationally acclaimed Brazilian design duo, the Campana Brothers, opened their design studio in Sao Paulo for one week to two Khalid Shafar & Noura Al Mehairi to create a fusion of UAE and Brazilian design for HSBC’s Abu Dhabi Art 2010 installation. The design brief was for a 40sqm exhibition space. After their trip to Sao Paulo, Khalid and Noura realised that cardboard in Brazil is a valuable material. The poor collect used cardboard and selling it to recycling workshops. Where as in the UAE only a fraction is recycled. Choosing cardboard for the stand construction material communicated this cultural and social understanding and made a bold statement about recycling on many levels. The stand was divided into an experimental space where visitors could explore the feel of the materials by standing on the cardboard and a working space where live demonstrations by the designers showcased the techniques used in making the cardboard tiles. The stand’s floor and partitioning were made of especially designed cardboard tiles. More than 3,200 strips of 5cm x 60cm cardboard were used to create more than 200 cardboard tiles of 50cm x 50cm. Sponsor’s logos were made of cardboard (an interesting new way to explore signage and branding), cardboard tiles were also used to create furniture such as side tables, and lights underneath flooring were used to reflect both cultures flag colours.