The
“Oca” was developed as a temporary pavilion for the event “Resistance and
Tradition”, which was part of the World Cultural Forum that took place in São
Paulo in 2004. As a center of discussion about Brazil’s indigenous culture, it
sheltered many ceremonies and meetings of representatives from the country’s
various native communities.
Inspired by the typology of traditional
indigenous houses – from which the “Oca” derives its name –, the project
references typical elements of the native architecture, such as the zenithal
illumination and the high level of transparency of the building. However, it
does so in a respectful manner without intending to be a mere literal reproduction
of said architecture, through the use of contemporary elements such as galvanized
steel boards. Alas, not only its form but also its structural design and
building method were also based in the wooden frame of typical indigenous ocas.
The site is divided by two circles that
mark the event’s different gathering spaces. The first is represented by the
oca, which symbolizes the indigenous house. The other one is a simple earth
circle surrounded by wooden totems with the same diameter as the oca, which
symbolizes the space for rituals and festivities that occur in the middle of a
“taba”, or indigenous village.
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