36 - Carol Gay (born 1976)

Carol Gay (born 1976) NoAr Lounge Chair Armchair Rubber and metal Year created: 2010 H75 L70 P73 cm It was during a workshop with Fernando and Humberto Campana, held in 1999–2000 at the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MuBE) in São Paulo while she was studying architecture, that Carol Gay turned to design. Her studio, founded in 2000, reinterprets familiar objects using unexpected materials, in collaboration with local manufacturers. For the NoAr Lounge Chair, she covers a stainless steel frame with strips of recycled rubber from industrial tires: from a distance, a graphic silhouette; up close, a supple and relaxed seat. A demonstration of her ability to transform a humble material into a sophisticated object. While studying architecture at Mackenzie Presbyterian University in São Paulo, Carol Gay participated in a workshop with renowned Brazilian designers Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana between 1999 and 2000. This experience inspired her to turn to furniture and product design. Since founding her eponymous studio in 2000, Gay has developed a multidisciplinary approach and a prolific body of work in the fields of furniture, object design, and lighting. She reinterprets traditional objects with unexpected touches, as seen in her sculptural lampshade made from playing cards or her distinctive, amorphous glassware. She typically works with local manufacturers, seeking new ways to combine artisanal craftsmanship with unexpected materials to create modern and sustainable products. Her NoAr collection includes a suspended high chair, a bench, and a lounge chair (below). For the lounge chair, Gay covered a stainless steel frame with recycled rubber from industrial tires. From a distance, the piece forms a graphic silhouette; up close, it exudes a relaxed, almost nonchalant feel. Composed of a series of rubber ribbons, the NoAr Lounge Chair demonstrates Gay’s ability to transform humble materials in sophisticated and surprising ways. Coming full circle, Gay also led workshops at the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MuBE), where his first workshop with the Campana brothers had originally taken place.