Hugo França

In the early 1980s, Hugo França abandoned his career as an industrial engineer in São Paulo to be closer to nature, moving to Trancoso, Bahia. Witnessing the rampant destruction of the local Atlantic Forest had a huge impact on him, motivating his current work as a designer. França reveres the trees he has recovered as his greatest inspiration; he works intuitively, allowing his artistic process to be guided by the natural organic forms of each tree, enhancing its particular character and history through minimal intervention in its features. The designer uses only pieces of trees that have already been condemned - either naturally or by human activity; in his hands, discarded trunks, unearthed roots and hollow logs are converted into unique sculptural furniture. Remarkably, França's pieces, which come from the destruction of the Atlantic Forest, are a record of nature's undeniable capacity, resilience and grandeur.