MACHAS

In Full Bloom: Eduardo Recife for China’s Indigo Mall installation

Indigo Beijing is a shopping plaza with a knack for maintaining a seasonal atmosphere over its mall experience. Their spacious winter garden space at the core of the mall features an impressive 52 metres LED screen, and for their 2019 autumn display, Indigo and event agency Brand Head got in touch with Machas to consult about who could be the next artist to grace their big screen. Our choice for the brief was Brazilian artist and longtime friend of Machas, Eduardo Recife.

Eduardo is a collage and illustration artist known for his rich, eclectic visions, and for Indigo he included plenty of natural phenomena to create an immersive and atmospheric feeling of multilayered imagery. From the breeze that sweeps along floating lotus petals to the finer detailing of knotty tree trunks and blooming flower buds, an abundance of natural energy emanates from the design.

In addition to visual intricacy, Eduardo also layered his design with symbolic significance through his choices of flora and fauna. In Chinese culture, Eduardo’s plump, ripe peaches will be recognised as symbols of longevity, whilst the grapes will stand for good luck and abundance.

“The challenge was not much the scale but the horizontal proportion,” says Eduardo, “everything becomes small and compressed when you work with such dimensions. So I had to play a lot with different scales and predict how it would be seen by people watching it on the large screen. If something was enlarged too much on the screen it would appear gigantic on such a big screen; but at the same time, if something was too small, it would get lost in such a wide proportion. A well planned variety was the key.”

Eduardo’s magnificent artwork was then animated by Simone Brillarelli, and due to the sheer magnitude of the screen, they both had to create with this aspect in mind.

Simone had to ensure smooth, slow animation so as not to dizzy the passing shoppers, whilst Eduardo had to factor how the elements would be seen and perceived in movement.

“Knowing that your art will be animated does affect a lot the creative process,” reflects Eduardo, “ because you not only have to worry about the composition of a still image but plan how these animated elements will interfere and relate to each other in a balanced way. You start to develop an almost animated sense for the design of the scene even while everything is still flat and unmoving.”

“It’s always a nice surprise to see the still images in motion. It gives life to each element in an almost magical way. Flowers blossoming, birds flying, animals moving… And it surely was a pleasure working with Simone on this project.”

The final result is beautiful, evocative and is sure to bring a transcendent, peaceful atmosphere to its home in Indigo’s winter garden.