Have you heard of the wish ribbon ritual? Celebrated differently around the world, the wish ribbon is generally a sign of faith or devotion. A wish is written on the ribbon and then is tied to either the wrist or the bridge until it falls off on its own to fulfil the wish.
Evidently, this little ritual is the design inspiration behind the Fe armchair by Tavinho Camerino, which is created to be transformed through public interaction. The designer invites the viewers to tie their wishes to the piece and create a monument of faith and trust.
The Fe armchair features a twisted metal mesh structure, which mimics church railings, a sign of protection and contact between the sacred and the faithful. At the Church of Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador, Brazil, these railings serve as a medium of hope and trust, as hundreds of ribbons are tied onto them daily with wishes, gratitude, and promises. The armchair brings the same medium to this year’s Salone del Mobile.
Talking about the piece, Tavinho Camerino tells Homecrux, “Visitors are invited to tie colored ribbons onto the piece, gradually transforming it into a collective and ever-changing structure.”
Representing a bridge between Brazilian popular symbolism and Italian Catholic traditions, the chair connects rituals from both cultures within a functional form. It blends industrial materials with traditional beliefs, emphasizing design with meaning and narrative presence.
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The Fe armchair explores the relationship between object and ritual, proposing a design that is not limited to its form but is rather constructed over time. It acts as a shared territory of faith built by anonymous hands, with different wishes in every knot.
In conclusion, it is “an interactive armchair inspired by a traditional ritual from Salvador, Bahia, where ribbons tied to the Church of Bonfim carry personal wishes,” says the designer.
