{"id":26455,"date":"2017-03-13T19:18:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T17:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grapheine.com\/?p=26455"},"modified":"2019-07-23T20:12:18","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T18:12:18","slug":"oi-in-love-with-a-brazilian-ear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grapheine.com\/en\/graphic-design-en\/oi-in-love-with-a-brazilian-ear","title":{"rendered":"Oi! In love with a Brazilian ear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let's fly to Brazil to meet\u00a0a local star. It's neither the Cristo Redentor, nor Gilberto Gil, Pel\u00e9 or even Giselle B\u00fcndchen. We will talk about curves though, but\u00a0introduce you to the famous orelh\u00f5es, the Brazilian phone booth of Oi -the\u00a0local phone company.<\/p>\n

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Behind this strange name -\"orelh\u00e3o\"- lies\u00a0one of the most emblematic\u00a0figures of the Brazilian streets<\/strong>.\u00a0Despite its visible modesty, it is actually so popular in local design that it could\u00a0outshine the architectural genius Oscar Niemeyer! Wether used or not, it is definitely part of the local scenery and gives a typical flavor\u00a0to the urban \"made in Brazil\" design.<\/p>\n

As London could never let go of its famous red phone booths, Rio, Sao Paulo and\u00a0Belo Horizonte would quite not be the same without their \"big ears\" (in Portuguese\"orelha\" means ear). Yet, eyes focused on our cellphones, these machines look\u00a0like they're out of another era...<\/p>\n

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The egg of a\u00a0cultural melting-pot<\/span><\/h2>\n

We owe this\u00a0witty design to\u00a0Chu Ming Silveira,\u00a0<\/strong>who gave birth to the orelha in 1970. (A Chinese designer naturalized as a Brazilian citizen: reflect of a country with a cultural melting-pot?). She was born in Shanghai on April 4th, 1941. After the Communist victory in 1949 her family ran away from persecutions towards opponents and decided to reach America. At sea from Hong Kong to Rio, Chu Ming's family sailed for 3 months and landed in 1951, right during carnival celebrations.<\/p>\n

In 1964, she graduated from the Mackenzie Architecture University.<\/p>\n

\"chu-ming\"<\/p>\n

In 1971, head of the project section of the Brazilian phone company, Chu Ming tackles\u00a0the challenge of creating both a functional and beautiful phone booth.\u00a0These ears will be shaped as eggs as \"this design enables the best acoustics\" according to their designer.<\/span><\/p>\n

On about 100 million people living in Brazil, 52 million were living in urban zones at this time. In many places, hearing and being heard in a public phone booth was a real challenge. The first tests of spacious and soundproof booths were not conclusive as they encroached upon\u00a0the sidewalks limited space, and\u00a0were regularly vandalized.<\/p>\n

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\"design-cabine-telephonique-br\u00e9sil\"
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Nowadays Oi is the biggest telecommunication provider in South America with 14 million of fixed lines and 17 million of mobile clients. True icons in Brazilian design and renowned as street furniture worldwide, the orelh\u00f5es booths were respectively named\u00a0Chu, Chu I and\u00a0Chu II by Oi company at their launch, to honor their creator.<\/span><\/p>\n

- Chu I in acrylic orange was meant to be installed in confined spaces such as shops or public workspaces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

- Chu II was conceived for an outdoor usage with its orange and blue fiberglass resisting bad weather, and extreme\u00a0Brazilian temperatures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 20 and 25th 1971, Rio de Janeiro and S\u00e3o Paulo respectively install\u00a0their first booths. Fast enough, people fall for this clever design which perfectly adapts in the urban space, and invent affectionate nicknames such as \"tulip\", \"spacewalker helmet\" and finally \"orelh\u00e3o<\/strong>\" <\/strong>- ear. <\/span>Chu Ming thus succeeded in creating small organic and welcoming shapes to offer comforting moments for\u00a0Brazilian to escape this concrete jungle of\u00a0S\u00e3o Paulo.
\nToday,\u00a0orelh\u00f5es have sprang across other Latin American countries like Peru, Colombia, Paraguay, but also in African countries like Angola and Mozambique or in China and other places around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Throughout her carrier, Chu Ming dedicated her time\u00a0to architecture, design, and image communication.<\/strong> With simplicity and while respecting Nature, she used materials and techniques in harmony with traditional cultures. Naturalized a Brazilian citizen, she lived in\u00a0S\u00e3o Paulo where she died on the 18th of June 1997.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A UFO straight from the fifties\u2026 or the seventies?<\/h2>\n

The orelh\u00e3o takes its spacial shape from casted\u00a0fiberglass. This was the material of choice of the Eames couple for\u00a0their Lounge Chair series. In 1949 the cast shell met their goal : to mass produce a compact, solid and affordable chair for the average American. The unique and modern line of the\u00a0Eames Plastic Chair was born!<\/b><\/p>\n

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