Andrea De Guio and Henrik Syvertsen are going to partecipate in the upcoming international exhibition "Uneven Growth" at the MoMA as part of the MAS Urban Design ETH. Don't miss it, if you happen to be in NYC between the 22nd of November and The 10th of May!

http://uneven-growth.moma.org

"Unevenness is a dominant feature of Rio de Janeiro’s urban landscape, making it exemplary of Brazil’s reputation as an unequal country. Extreme topography confronts the city with nature and the division between rich and poor is articulated in asfalto (official city) and morro(favelas). Yet, Brazil’s income distribution has drastically changed during the last seven years—the lower middle class has increased by 40 million people and now represents the largest segment of the population. In Rio, 60 percent of favela residents now belong to this emerging middle class.

As Rio becomes a middle-class city, the government and prevailing economic system are transforming the city into a setting for market-driven development. However, the discontent of large portions of the population—demonstrated by recent protests against the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics—expresses the gap between the aspirations of an emerging consumer class and the lack of urban equality.

The cariocas (Rio’s inhabitants) have always found ways to appropriate and subvert their built environment through puxadinhos-—add-ons to existing structures made from leftover materials. Inspired bypuxadinhos, the proposed Varanda Products accommodate the logic of the market in order to transform it. As an interface between individual and community, the varanda offers a middle ground for negotiation, gathering, and play. Varanda Products is a catalogue of everyday consumer products that promotes city-making as a collective endeavor bringing together diverse social milieus. Insinuating itself everywhere, Varanda Products encourages small-scale urban entrepreneurship with the openness and playfulness typical of the carioca way of life."