reference for jewellery in architecture
Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) was a prolific architect, designer and thinker, whose work spans across architecture, furniture, stage and costume design, urban planning, curatorial work, teaching and writing. ‘Stones Against Diamonds’ deftly present Bo Bardi’s writings in a timeline of her life. Beginning with the start of her career in Italy, we see her move to Brazil, and her time in Bahia and Sao Paolo. Through these essays and the accompanying photographs and sketches, the book gives a welcome insight into the thoughts of one of the lesser-known women architects.
‘My love for Brazil has fuelled my love of gems. this is a country of marvellous stones, such as the quartz crystals that you can pick up from the ground in the mountains of Mina Gerais, in the tablelands, or even in Sao Paulo state, where some years ago, I found some really beautiful ones, perfectly polished by nature.’ ‘Well, all of this is a prelude for calling for designers in Brazil to start working with these gemstones, which are unjustly tagged semi-precious’ said Lina Bo Bardi.
In 2015 Isaac Julien made a film ‘Stones Against Diamonds’ for Rolls Royce that was inspired by the letter written by Bo Bardi. The artist and his crew travelled to the remote Vatnajokull region of South East Iceland, shooting the film inside caves formed over thousands of years.
Architects Journal, Tar Magazine, Arch Daily
