B Fora Gerro by Nicolau dos Santos is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award d'Argent in Disseny de Mobiliari Competition Category.

ArgentMobiliari· 2021

B Fora Gerro

by Nicolau dos Santos

Client: Iammi

A' Design Award d'Argent Winner in Mobiliari Category

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Verified Award Winner
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Colors

The Design

About B Fora Gerro

B Fora és un gerro de ceràmica dissenyat per a interiors domèstics. La forma reinterpreta la clàssica àmfora grega i hi afegeix superfícies corbes i dues nanses rectes. Les proporcions es van estudiar perquè el gerro es mantingui en equilibri un cop retirat del motlle. L'interior es submergeix en un recobriment cristal·lí brillant que fa el gerro impermeable, de manera que pot contenir líquids amb seguretat. B Fora es pot utilitzar per servir begudes, per posar-hi flors o com a objecte decoratiu. El gerro està fet de ceràmica de porcellana blanca mitjançant la tècnica del colatge amb barbotina.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award d'Argent

B Fora Gerro és un guanyador del guardó A' Design Award d'Argent, un reconeixement extraordinàriament prestigiós concedit a dissenys d'alta gamma, esplèndids i impressionants. Els guanyadors d'Argent són obres tremendament brillants i summament creatives que il·lustren la perícia, el talent i la perspicàcia excepcionals dels seus dissenyadors. Es preveu que B Fora Gerro sigui una obra meravellosa i de gran lluïment, remarcablement professional i profundament innovadora. Aquest disseny guanyador del guardó A' Design Award d'Argent és un invent molt notable i admirat que beneficia i fa avançar els límits de l'art, la ciència, el disseny i la tecnologia. B Fora Gerro és una creació molt envejada que evoca desitjos, introdueix sentiments positius i desperta sorpresa i admiració.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The idea is to redesign the classic greek amphora into a modern piece that perfectly fits our home interiors. A b side has been offered to an amphora to become a B fora. The curvy curves that characterize the vase and the two straight handles have been carefully designed to keep the vase in perfect balance once extracted from the mold. With the waterproof coating on his internal side, the vase can contain liquids inside.
Dimensions & Packaging: B fora

Material: Whiteware ceramic

External finish (depends on the edition):
Skin: acrylic coloring
My friend: transparent matte finishing
Special: depending on the artist choice

Internal finish: dipped it in the crystalline glossy and waterproof coating

Size: 165 x 120 x h.350 mm

Weight: 1200gr.

Packaging

Dimensions: 210 x 400 x h.150 mm

Material: white recycled cardboard with white shaped foam layer
Tags: vase, ceramic, interior, greekstyle, homedecor, amphora
Production Technology: The B fora is born in the atelier of the Italian master ceramist Michele Puzzo. After realizing the render images and technical draws of the B fora, the vase has been craved on a plaster cylinder using the traditional pottery lathe and sculpting the femminile curves with an accurate handwork.
The production of the vases has been made with the slipcasting technique.
The shape of the vase has been carved inside the packaging into a layer of foam that prevents the vase from being knocked during the shippings.
Design Challenge: Finding the right balance between the aesthetic of the vase and its possible realization on a production that uses the slipcasting technique.
In particular, the challenge came out during the drying phase, after the vase was taken off from the mold. The narrowest parts of the vase have been designed several times to reach the right balance and avoid the collapse of the vase due to the weight.
Research: History: the vases have always been connected to the femininity because of their qualities of receiving and containing liquids. The pregnant woman who carries the baby in her lap protecting, feeding, and giving him/her everything needed can be a clear example of it.
Subconscious: in psychology also, the vase has always been associated with women. According to Freud, the vase symbolizes the woman and the relations with the opposite sex.
Alchemy: finally, in Medieval literature we find the Holy Grail, the vase which contains the elixir of life, an image that immediately suggests the woman gift of life.
Inspiration: B fora is born from the desire to combine the beauty and harmony of Greek conception of body perfection with our contemporary graceful female body silhouette.
Combining the Greek and the modern canons of beauty, a new side has been revealed: the B side. This new amphora is not just a piece of furniture, but a way to talk about the modern beauty as the ancients Greeks did.
Project Duration: The project idea came in March 2019 after a personal study on ancient greek art. We started working on the shapes for more than 3 months, trying to combine the idea of the beauty perfection of ancient greeks with our contemporary conception. The prototyping phase started in June and took 3 months to reach the right shapes. From September till December we realized the production of the 70 vases, the packaging, and the gadgets connected to the product. Everything took place in Milan, Italy.
Operation Flow: B fora is a vase that can be used for serving beverage during your meals, for contains flowers and for interiors decor. In the documentation that can be found inside the packaging, there is a sticky hand toy, to spank the vase when it deserves it.
Team Members: Designer: Nicolau dos Santos
Art director: Stephanie Blanchard
Image Credits: Image #1 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #2 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #3 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #4 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.
Image #5 : Photographer Tiago Marques, B fora, 2020.

Video credits: Tania de Pascalis, B fora skin edition catalog, 2020.