Milan, Italy

Born of the encounter among African, Indigenous, and European traditions, Ginga is not merely a technique but a form of bodily intelligence: a continuous rhythm built on adaptation, improvisation, and a relationship with space. It is from this dynamic principle that the project takes shape.

Ginga interprets design as a territory of encounter among cultural identity, formal research, and a contemporary vision of living.

Rhythm as structure

In the language of capoeira, Ginga is the movement that never stops: a sequence of oscillations that keeps the body balanced between stability and transformation.

This same principle becomes the conceptual matrix of the project. Ginga is conceived as a modular system capable of generating ever-changing configurations: each element can be combined, rotated, or recomposed, giving rise to compositions that evolve over time and space.

Like the gesture from which it takes its name, the project’s structure resists rigidity and suggests possibilities.

Domestic space thus becomes a field of dynamic relationships, where furniture helps create a moving harmony among body, space, and function.

Between geometry and gesture

The formal construction of the sofa reflects this balance between rigour and spontaneity.

The seating develops from a linear base organised by horizontal seams that articulate the volumes and introduce a precise visual rhythm.

These lines become both a graphic sign and a compositional device, allowing different fabrics, colors, and textures to be combined.

In contrast with the linearity of the base, the spherical backrest emerges as the focal element of the project. Its gathered surface conveys softness and movement, introducing a sensory dimension that distances the object from any formal rigidity.

On the back, a vertical seam guides the eye toward an unexpected wooden sphere, almost like a full stop concluding the composition.

Form as identity

The sphere is not a random element but a constant in Anna Maya’s design research. In her work, pure geometries serve as tools for exploring the relationship between balance, movement, and perception.

This attention to essential volumes – particularly the sphere – finds a natural affinity with the tradition of Brazilian modernism, in which architecture has often transformed geometry into a sculptural and dynamic gesture.

In Ginga, this element takes on both structural and symbolic value: on one hand, defining the project’s visual identity, and on the other evoking the idea of continuity and transformation that permeates Brazil’s culture of movement.

Through the dialogue between precise lines and organic surfaces, the sofa creates a language in which structure and freedom coexist.

The project defines an aesthetic while simultaneously suggesting a fluid and open way of inhabiting space, one that is constantly evolving.

Within this perspective, sustainability also becomes an integral part of the design logic.

 The use of certified woods, renewable upholstery, and production processes that reduce textile waste is combined with a design conceived for durability and the reconfigurability of components, helping extend the product’s life cycle.

With Ginga, Anna Maya continues a research practice distinguished by an authorial and conceptual approach, rooted in Brazilian culture yet far from its most stereotypical representations.

Her work contributes to expanding the perception of contemporary Brazilian design, revealing a more experimental, independent, and deeply identity-driven dimension.

About Anna Maya

Brazilian architect and designer based in Florianópolis, Anna Maya has built a solid career spanning nearly three decades in architecture and interior design.

In recent years, she has developed a research practice in product design, creating a distinctive formal language characterized by the use of pure geometries — particularly the sphere — reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.

Her creations combine design rigour with sensory sensitivity, offering visual and spatial experiences that broaden the perception of contemporary Brazilian design

Project: Ginga
Designer: Anna Maya
Design Studio: Anna Maya Studio