Lagoa is part of Joias, a project created by three Belgian designers and one Belgian curator who spent three weeks living and working together in Santa Isabel, an island in the magisterial setting of the Brazilian Delta do Parnaíba, one of the three largest deltas in the world. Like the Nile and the Mekong River, it has a unique ecosystem and Parnaíba is the entrance to this natural paradise.
Amongst all the jewels this North Brazilian region has to offer, the Carnaúba-palm is the one that shines the brightest. With its elegant dancing leaves, it radiates pure natural glamour. Besides being beautiful, the Carnaúba is environmentally and economically vital for the region. Every single part of this ‘árvore da vida’ is used for an incredibly diverse range of products, from construction materials to computer chips, from medicine to artisanal objects.
The ‘joias’ of the project are the fruit of a co-creation process with the artisans of Ilha Grande de Santa Isabel. In the objects, made out of the different parts of the sun-dried fibers of the Carnaúba palm tree, the artistic concepts of the designers merge beautifully with the diverse crafting techniques of the artisans. Lagoa is one of the silent but sensual witnesses of this exuberant, cultural dialogue.
