RAMOS, G. Vidas Secas. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2019.

The name of the Vit sofa refers to the character Sinhá Vitória, from the book Barren Lives by Graciliano Ramos. The book was written in 1938 and it’s part of the Brazilian modernist movement’s second wave or the 30s generation. This period of Brazilian literature is characterized by the consolidation and the maturity of the guidelines established by the Modern Art Week in ‘22. The modernist movement sought to consolidate a Brazilian point of view of the arts, making use of European patterns and metrics to talk about regional themes. The second wave presents an immersion in the psychological universe of characters inserted in abusive political and social contexts and deals with the desires, wishes, and afflictions of Brazilian people in different regions of the country. In Barren Lives, the author describes, through prose, the cyclical suffering of a migrating family made up of a father, mother, two children, and a dog, that struggle with the drought in northeast Brazil.

The book was chosen due to its psychological and, consequently, universal themes, making it possible for each reader to develop empathy for the characters, even in the face of extreme contexts and landscapes, and to see themselves in the characters through a human being that connects to their essence and their dreams. The choice for Sinhá Vitória was due to her unique and imaginative profile and what she represents in the story. The character is defined by her ability of dreaming of a better life, while she gives support to her husband, Fabiano, who is a brute of a man, confusing himself with an animal at times and communicating mostly through grunts as opposed to words. As a poor family, the couple sleeps in a bed of tree branches and they can barely move due to a wood knot in one of the branches that make up the bed. Sinhá Vitória dreams of a bed just like Tomás the miller’s, owner of the farm they work for. The bed she dreams about has a leather bed frame and its foundation is made of good quality wood, a good place to stretch out one’s bones, as the character says.

The sofa is, therefore, a homage to the fundamentally human feeling that is looking for comfort. We’re all a little Sinhá Vitória when our only wish is to lie down comfortably, alone, or sharing our time with company, sleeping, reading, studying, or watching a movie. The intention behind naming the sofa was that the name itself could be an ode to the feeling that moves us to look for relief, quietness, and tranquility. The subjective intention is to see that Sinhá Vitória eventually found the so-desired rest for her bones, ending the suffering cycle. From a constructive point of view, the piece was sized to be the reflection of simple, but extremely functional solutions when it comes to its modularity, sewing, upholstery, and foam density. As a highlight, there’s the large throw pillow which is part of the chaise module and emphasizes the prominent intention of comfort, being a supportive element so that every person can find their best position for rest. The foundation is also simple, with feet in solid wood, however promptly answering to the structural demands of the sofa, representing old wood frame beds. chaise, que grifa a intenção de conforto proeminente, sendo um elemento de suporte para que cada indivíduo encontre sua posição essencial de descanso. As bases são de concepção também simplificadas, com pés em madeira maciça, porém respondem prontamente às exigências estruturais do conjunto, representando as bases das antigas camas de estruturas delgadas em madeira.