Product Design

(Un)Building Blocks

Overview

The fire at the National Museum, which occurred on December 2, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro, was one of the greatest tragedies in Brazil's cultural, historical, and scientific fields.

Founded in 1918, the museum housed around 20 million items, including fossils, archaeological artifacts, historical documents, and items such as the fossil of Luzia, the oldest human skull found in the Americas. 90% of this collection was destroyed during the 2018 fire, severely impacting various research projects.

In short, the National Museum fire became a symbol of neglect towards the country's culture and historical heritage.

Approach

The Building Blocks symbolize both the reconstruction and destruction of the National Museum. The irregularly shaped, burned wooden blocks from the museum itself represent its resilience while also serving as a critique of the neglect towards public heritage—an invaluable collection not only for Brazilian and Carioca society but for the world.

They teach players/users fundamental architectural and design languages, history, and ethics.

For the user, the pleasure comes from manipulating these objects and processes, focusing on their creative right and ability to transform the toy into their own utopian landscapes—recognizing the rules, breaking the rules, and creating new rules.

The wooden pieces themselves were handcrafted using a bandsaw from the burned remnants of the museum, while details such as windows and doors were produced with a CNC machine. After that, the pieces were charred with a blowtorch. The windows reveal the interior of the solid wood, as if it were burning from within.

Caio Valporto 2025

Rio de Janeiro