The ‘orelhão’ (‘big ear’ in Portuguese) is the name given to the iconic egg-shaped telephone hoods that has been decorating the Brazilian sidewalks since January 20 and 25th 1971, when Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo respectively installed their first booths. designed by Chinese Brazilian architect Chu Ming Silveira, the distinctive shells took shape as lightweight oval hoods, prioritizing acoustics, along with user comfort, protection and privacy. Just how London still holds on its emblematic red phone booths, the Brazilian metropoles would not be the same without their ‘big ears’.
Although the appearance of mobile phones has led to a stable decline in the use of the orelhão since the 2010s, the devices are still incorporated into the street furniture of Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as Africa and Xhina. With the iconic phone shelter reaching its 50th anniversary, the official orelhão website celebrates its consolidated status as a world design icon reminding its influence as a symbol of Brazil.
05:38
Cosmo
0 comments:
Post a Comment