For the lobby of this important hotel designed by the architect Ruy Ohtake, we tried to translate something about the origins of Avenida Paulista, its occupation by coffee producers in the 19th century, its relationship with the land, the contour lines created for the planting of coffee, the hills carved out for this purpose, the very geological elevation where this iconic avenue for the city of São Paulo is located today. In the main lobby we placed a large sculpture representing the sprout of a coffee plant. Its base is made of solid carbonised wood, representing the forests that have succumbed to the plantation. At the top, the representation of a sprout of the plant with the bean sprouting in a very rare and special way, a double bean that by chance has become Siamese. Finding a coffee bean like this in the yards of the old farms in São Paulo and Minas Gerais means luck, something to be kept in the pockets of the children who once played there. This very special bean was represented in a giant form in this sculpture, coated in gold to make it even rarer and more precious. In another space, on a large shelf, we placed a series of blocks painted in shades of earth and vegetation, representing the stratification of geological layers, the occupying and tilling of the earth to feed ourselves and, why not, satiate desires and pleasures. Coffee is more pleasurable than food, agree?

Place: São Paulo
Client: Renaissance Hotel