81 - Carol Gay (born in 1976)

Carol Gay (born in 1976) Cobre Table Copper and brass Limited edition of 7 pieces + 2 artist's proofs Date of creation: 2011 H45 L50 P30 cm The first COBRE table was designed in 2011 for a commission from the OZTEL design hotel in Rio de Janeiro. In 2012, the Firma Casa design gallery in São Paulo invited Carol Gay to participate in the exhibition “Parece Mas Não É.” For the occasion, the artist created the Copper Collection, consisting of seven table designs and seven side table designs. This collection is a limited edition of seven pieces, plus two artist’s proofs. The copper tubes and fittings, typically used in plumbing installations in Brazil, were repurposed from their original function. The material’s nobility, color, and luster have been highlighted and elevated to the status of a work of art. It was this desire to reveal and enhance this ordinary material that led her to create this collection. All pieces are handmade. The copper is varnished to preserve its luster. The first Cobre table was created in 2011 as a commission for the Oztel design hotel in Rio de Janeiro. The following year, the Firma Casa gallery in São Paulo invited Carol Gay to participate in the exhibition “Parece Mas Não É” (“It Looks Like It, But It Isn’t”): there, she developed a collection of seven tables and seven side tables. The concept is one of repurposing: copper pipes and fittings—usually hidden in Brazilian plumbing systems—become exposed structural elements, elevated to the status of a noble material. Each piece is assembled by hand, and the varnished copper retains its luster.