No. 63 - Pirelli

No. 63
DECEMBER 2012
Pirelli worldwide magazine
No. 63 — December 2012
2
Antônio Carlos “Tom” Jobim
Contents
No. 63 — December 2012
Pirelli worldwide magazine
Registrazione Tribunale di Milano
n. 494 del 24.9.1994
www.pirelli.com
Brazil gears up
Bruno Senna
and Brazil: full
speed ahead
Building the
new Brazil
Earth summit
No fear of
the future
Brazil is the
real automotive
El Dorado
Cities of God
and Men
Travelling side
by side for over
80 years
Shooting
Rio
The art of
collecting
From Italy
to Brazil...
and back
Exporting
creativity
Published by
Pirelli & C. SpA
Corporate Communication and Media Relations
Editorial Coordinator
Maurizio Abet
Director
Barbara Lightwood
Editor-in-Chief
Simona Gelpi
Editorial office
Viale P. e A. Pirelli, 25 - Milano
pw.editorial@pirelli.com
English text editor
William Crerar
Graphics
Leftloft — www.leftloft.com
Printing
Graphicscalve S.p.a.
CQ-COC-000018
Printed on Arcoset paper
No. 63 — December 2012
1
João Wainer. Cidade, 2005 - São Paulo, SP
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
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PIRELLI WORLD
Brazil gears up
Paolo Dal Pino
Executive Chairman Latin America Pirelli
s the world’s sixthlargest economy and
its fifth-largest
country in terms both
of geographical area and population, boasting robust public
finances, Brazil is playing an
increasingly significant role on the
global stage.
Enormous, rich, multiethnic,
contradictory, growing and
changing. That, in short, is
modern-day Brazil: one of the few
nations in the world that has
continued to grow even in the year
of the European debt crisis, with
an estimated +1.6% growth in GDP
in 2012 compared to last year and a
wealth of natural resources that
give grounds for optimism about
the future.
It’s also a strategic country for
Pirelli, where there is a special
bond between company and
nation, a bond that has gone from
strength to strength over our 83
years of shared history. Pirelli has
its “roots” in Brazil: it is the
market leader and boasts a
considerable industrial presence,
with the highest number of
factories in a single nation. The
five Brazilian plants produce the
entire range of Pirelli tyres
(motorbike, car, SUV, light and
heavy commercial vehicles, and
agricultural vehicles) as well as
steel cord. It’s a constantly
evolving, continually growing
market, where the Pirelli brand
has been “top of mind” for a full 10
years and where one in two new
cars is fitted with our tyres. It’s
also the area where the Premium
strategy is registering its greatest
increase, accompanying the
growth of high-end vehicles, a
testament to the country’s recent
evolution.
Enormous, rich,
multiethnic,
contradictory,
growing and
changing
The continuous economic growth
of recent years is not the only sign
of Brazil’s remarkable transformation from a developing country at
the end of the 80s to an important
BRIC nation today. There’s also the
finding of recent demographic
surveys that over 30% of the
Brazilian population has shifted
social class in the last few years.
Over 60 million Brazilians
(equivalent to the entire Italian
population) reported an increase
in earnings between 2005 and 2011
that allowed them to improve
their standard of living. In most
cases that meant joining what is
defined as class C, the middle class
with a monthly income of R$ 1,450
(around €600), currently represented by over 100 million people,
54% of Brazil’s population. Another
25% of the population remain in
the lower social classes, while the
remainder make up the wealthiest
social class, which includes
numerous millionaires.
This conspicuous transformation
is clearly visible in Brazil’s main
cities, where shopping malls have
replaced old abandoned sites and
the presence of the main global
luxury brands has grown exponentially.
Rio de Janeiro is a resounding
case in point: it will play host to
the most important international
events of the coming years, such
as the Confederation Cup in 2013,
the football World Cup in 2014
and the Olympics two years later.
But its true vocation is as an “oil
capital”, with recent deep sea
discoveries and impressive
investment plans attracting the
world’s major oil and gas companies to the “Marvellous City”.
Infrastructure transformation is
already in progress, one of the
most significant projects being the
redevelopment of the old docks
area - now called “Porto Maravilha”
- along the lines of what was done
in Barcelona in 1992. It’s also an
important area for Pirelli, an area
that symbolises the transformation and the one chosen to present
the 2013 Pirelli Calendar. Dedicated
to Brazil and the success of its
socio-economic metamorphosis,
the calendar was shot in Rio de
Janeiro by American photo-journalist Steve McCurry and features
a set of images taken in locations
that bear witness to Rio’s social
transformation in recent years.
No. 63 — December 2012
3
Tuca Vieira. Paraisópolis, 2004 - São Paulo, SP
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
An interview with José
Scheinkman, professor
of Economics at Princeton
University, co-editor of the
Journal of Political Economy
and Brazilian by birth
By Gea Scancarello
even thousand five
hundred kilometres of
new roads, over ten
thousand kilometres
of railway, plus ports,
airports, underground railways: an
investment of 65.6 billion dollars in
total: from Rio to Fortaleza, by way
of São Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil
is one big building site.
The government led by Dilma
Rousseff has decided to invest in
infrastructure to sustain the
growth which, over the last decade,
has turned the country into the
world’s second emerging power
after China. The operation is no
mere makeover, it has real substance. It’s all about eliminating
the bottle-necks which, after
twenty years of runaway development, are now slowing the Brazilian juggernaut down. And which
could, as the global economy gradually recovers from the effects of
the European crisis and American
uncertainty, hold it back compared
to its giant Asian competitors.
The first indications of a slowdown
are already visible: after growing
7.5% in 2010, Brazil’s wealth increased by just 2.7% in 2011, and
that figure is set to dwindle to just
2% in 2012.
“This has to be the moment for
reforms,” explains José Scheinkman, professor of Economics at
Princeton University, co-editor of
the Journal of Political Economy
and Brazilian by birth. “Analysts
expect Brazil to make a strong recovery in 2013, but internal obstacles
to development must first be
removed.”
What are these obstacles?
The process of profound change that
began in the 90s, with the advent
of democracy, is starting to show a
few cracks.
No. 63 — December 2012
5
For sustained growth Brazil has to
open up its market?
And its universities.
Meaning?
For a long time it’s been very difficult
for anyone who hasn’t had a career
within the federal universities to
get tenure or a research post. They
have not been open to foreigners.
Tuca Vieira. Largo de Concórdia, 2005 - São Paulo, SP
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
Such as?
At that time, along with the transformation of politics and society, the
economy began to recover, supported
by reforms.After twenty years, however, those reforms have stalled: we
need to breathe new life into them.
How?
The formula is simple enough, at
least on paper. On one hand, certain
industries and services need to be
privatised; on the other, there has to
be a focus on infrastructure investment. From many points of view, in
terms of transport and logistics, the
country is still massively behind.
In August, president Dilma Rouseff
announced 65.6 billion dollars of
investments.
There isn’t enough money in the
State coffers for all the work that
is needed. To get the economy back
in gear, the government is obliged
to put its faith in private investors,
even though that’s not traditionally
a left-wing solution.
The sale of concessions for
twelve railways and nine
motorways is already scheduled.
The country is facing a challenge: to
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PIRELLI WORLD
ensure growth the whole system has
to be renovated. Selling concessions
is not enough: there must be clear
rules for development. Investors
complain about the lack of a framework of regulations and assistance
which they can rely on when they
decide to do business in Brazil.
Explain what you mean.
Doing business in Brazil can be too
expensive. Foreign investors, which
the country badly needs, have to
deal with duties and licenses whose
motivation is often more political
than economical.
Why?
Partly because of the power of the lobbies.A good example is the automobile
lobby,which is extremely influential
on the country’s politico-economic
scene. Broadly speaking, after President Ignacio Lula’s first term there
was a push for protectionism.
A way of nurturing domestic
champions?
Probably, but it has counter-productive effects: over the long term it
makes the nation lose wealth rather
than gain it. We mustn’t be afraid
to look to the future.
Intellectual protectionism?
Yes, in the past it was like that.
But now Brazil is paying a penalty.
Technology is one of the sectors
that has paid the highest price
for this lack of external input: the
entry of major global players was
blocked to protect the domestic
industry. Now the numbers speak
for themselves.
What do they say?
The number of patents is very low.
And that’s the best example of the
difference between Brazil and the
rest of the so-called BRICs. If you
take India and China, for example,
you’ll see how much they have focused on the high-tech sector, importing know-how and ideas, which
then flow into domestic industry
as a whole.
On the positive side, then, there is
an enormous margin for growth.
Yes, and the first step is to open centres of research and industry, under
foreign guidance if necessary.That’s
a big difference between Brazil and
the United States or Asia: we haven’t
yet got into the habit of importing
the best minds.
What’s the second step?
Education: we’ve got to invest in
schools. In a high-quality education for all.
90% of Brazilians already go to
school.
True, and that is one of the successes
of ex-president Lula’s social campaigns, which should be continued.
What else needs to be done to
ensure growth?
Wealth needs to be better distributed. The economic boom and the
social policies of recent years have
lifted millions of people out of hunger,
but there are still appalling differences in the distribution of income.
But for the first time, there is a
middle class, and it’s growing.
Yes, and this has a marked impact
on consumption.The real phenomenon of modern-day Brazil is access
to credit: up until a few years ago it
was impossible to get a loan from the
banks. But today, almost anyone can
have a credit card.
Is there a risk of a bubble?
No,because the phenomenon is relatively recent and the central bank is
doing a good job of monitoring it.For
the moment,however,it’s an entirely
positive phenomenon, which will
contribute to the country’s growth.
The forthcoming Olympics and
World Cup could also provide a
significant boost.
Yes, but we should be cautious with
he emergent powers
par excellence are
those identified with
the acronym BRIC, which
then became BRICS with the
addition of South Africa, and
appeared for the first time in
2001 in a report by Goldman
Sachs. Centres of economy
are, therefore, Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa.
T
our optimism.Experience has taught
that these mega-events only work as
a stimulus if they succeed in transferring investments from the rest
of the country to the areas involved,
otherwise they create debts.
For example?
The Barcelona Olympics were an
economic success because the whole
of Spain concentrated its investments
on the region in a profitable way.
But in Montreal, for example, they
are still trying to pay off the debts
undertaken by the government to
pay for the infrastructure.
How will it go in Brazil?
In Rio de Janeiro,the hub of it all,the
infrastructure is extremely poor, so
there are lots of useful things that can
be done.And the country is currently
full of optimism,because the improvement in quality of life conditions has
been amazing for millions of people.
So there’s a desire to act?
Yes.And there’s work too: unemployment,despite the slowdown in 2012,is
decreasing.The road to development
is long, but the signs are good.
José Alexandre Scheinkman
was born on January 11, 1948. He is
a Brazilian-American mathematical
economist, currently the Theodore
A. Wells ‘29 Professor of Economics
at Princeton University. He spent the
bulk of his career at the University of
Chicago, where he served as department chair prior to his departure
for Princeton. He was columnist for
the top Brazilian newspaper Folha
de São Paulo and was also the top
economic adviser to the failed presidential campaign of Ciro Gomes.
BRAZIL NUMBERS
GDP Growth
Unemployment
+7.5%
6.7%
+2.7%
6%
+2%
5.5%
2010
2011
2012 (forecast)
2010
2011
2012 (forecast)
Work Force 2012
104.7
million people
Infrastructure
investments 2012
65.7
billion dollars
+4%
2013 (forecast)
Source: World Bank, Financial Times
No. 63 — December 2012
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Brazil: a country that loves to
spend. Parsimony is not part
of the national DNA. “There
is a historic reason” explains
Luis Paulo Rosenberg, an
economist from São Paolo
who has for many years
offered guidance to central
governments
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PIRELLI WORLD
Julio Bittencourt.
Séries Prestes Meia, 2006
São Paulo, SP
the Pirelli/MASP
photography Collection
ome would call them
irresponsible, but Brazilians prefer to describe
themselves as optimistic. Fear of the future
and parsimony are not part of the
national DNA: even when it means
choosing between saving or spending (almost) every last cent.
Now the country’s 195 million inhabitants, encouraged by over 30 years
of economic growth and a young but
robust democracy, have discovered
“consumer mania”: a genuine love
of spending which, elsewhere in
the world, would be regarded with
suspicion.
«There is a historic reason», explains
Luis Paulo Rosenberg, an economist
from São Paolo who has for many
years offered guidance to central
governments, first as president João
Figueiredo’s advisor for energy investments and then as economic
advisor to president José Sarney.
«For 40 years, Brazil was afflicted
by soaring inflation: the erosion of
purchasing power was such that
spending money on tangible goods
was the wisest choice a Brazilian
could make», continues Rosenberg,
who was also the country’s negotiator with the International Monetary
Fund and is now one of the founders
of Brazilian consultancy firm Rosenberg Partners. «The overall economic
situation has changed, but not the
attitude to spending.On the contrary,
it is spreading like wildfire».
Did the elimination of inflation
create a middle class of happy
consumers?
Absolutely. But to understand what
really happened,and how,it is necessary to take a step back and understand our Jeitinho.
What does that mean?
It is a Brazilian expression which
means finding your own way of doing
things, muddling through, bypassing formal rules.
What has it got to do with the
middle class?
For almost 40 years, Brazil swallowed
up all salaries and savings; they were
massacred by inflation. There were
some months, before 1994, where it
reached 90%...
And..?
By virtue of the Jeitinho, we did not
actually have the will or the need
to face the problem for a long time.
Instead we created a compromise;
we built a system of automatic price
adjustment that allowed us to carry
on.But each month up to 50% of one’s
salary could be eroded by inflation,
creating one of the worst income
distributions in the world.During the
80s, there were only three countries
with a more unjust distribution.
Saving was basically impossible and
meaningless for the lower classes,
who had no access to sophisticated
forms of investment. So they had to
spend before their purchasing power
was destroyed by inflation.
Then what happened?
In 1994 we established a program of
reforms that seriously tackled the
problem, cutting public debt, eliminating automatic price adjustments
and increasing real annual interest
rates for consumers up to 40%. Do
you know what this means?
Tell us.
It means that it was almost impossible to get credit, as it was
too expensive, which discouraged
consumption. So spending was no
longer convenient.
So, there was a sort of shortcircuit. First everybody spent everything and then nothing at all.
Exactly.
Anyway, today the country is
booming.
And interest rates have finally
dropped; they still remain among
the highest in the world, around
20%, but they are falling. And they
have enabled the nation to discover
the joy of credit.
The joy of the new middle class.
In Brazil the instinctive inclination
No. 63 — December 2012
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towards purchasing is reinforced by
the availability of credit: we calculate
that new consumers are spending
about 85% of their salary.
What are they buying?
The first phase of consumption consists of non-durable goods. Those
who finally have some money want
better nutrition and an Internet
connection. Then we move on to
durable goods such as fridges, televisions and furniture…
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PIRELLI WORLD
And cars?
The car is the true object of desire.
Motor shows drive entire cities crazy.
Everyone dreams of a Ferrari even if
they can only afford a Fiat.
How many high-end consumers
are there in the country?
There are about 800,000 Brazilians
who are considered rich, who have
always engaged with the luxury
market and dedicated 40% of their
salaries to it. But remember: Brazil-
ians have such a high inclination
to consume that the middle class
here buys what in other countries
would be considered luxury goods.
What do you mean by luxury
goods?
Jewellery, fashion, restaurants,
even helicopters. Travelling abroad,
on the other hand, still remains
the preserve of a small group of
people.
Aristides Alves.
Garimpeiro no Mercado Municipal,
1993 - Lençóis, BA
the Pirelli/MASP
photography Collection
And the other half?
Italians!
Has this helped shape consumer
tastes?
Yes: everything that is Italian is
conceived as elegant, refined and
having a strong identity. The main
national newspaper carried out a
survey among its readers asking
them to indicate the best brands
present in the country. The top ten
included Pirelli, even though it is
not a brand that lavishly promotes
its own identity.And among males,
Pirelli is number one among the
“top of mind” brands!
How do trends develop?
Television has tremendous power.
Especially soap operas. There are
two of them, one broadcast at 6pm
and the other at 9pm. They are so
important and watched by so many
that they can even get soccer matches
postponed.
Do they dictate fashion?
Not only that, they dictate the rules
of consumption. Everything that
appears on TV, from a nail varnish
to a dress, immediately becomes a
must. They act as a spotlight that
illuminates certain products and
makes them essential.
Which are the winning brands?
Brazil is such a voracious market
that every brand has arrived here,
adjusting products and distribution
methods to the local environment.
However some influences are stronger than others.
For example?
Italy.The city of São Paolo is traditionally very close to Italy. There was a
famous joke about half of the inhabitants being the children of Italians.
How long can this hunger for
spending last in Brazil?
According to some studies consumption will continue to grow for at
least ten years, at an annual rate
of 7%. Faster than the GDP growth.
How is something like this possible?
Such are the miracles of credit. Until
now it was non-existent. And Brazil
basically had no private debt. But
now that credit exists, society is
hungry for consumption. G.S.
Luis Paulo Rosenberg, Graduated
in Economics from the Faculdade
de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade da Universidade de São
Paulo – FEA/USP (School of Economy,
Administration and Accounting from
University of São Paulo), he obtained
a Ph.D. in the same area from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, USA. He
is a professor at Instituto Tecnológico
de Aeronáutica – ITA (Technological
Institute of Aeronautics) and has
lectured at Fundação Getulio Vargas
(Getulio Vargas Foundation) and
at Universidade de Brasília – UnB
(University of Brasília). He was superintendent of the IPEA
Research Institute and advisor to
Minister Delfim Netto during the
government of President João Figueiredo, being responsible for energy
sector investment management. He
was also a member of the Government’s negotiation team for the IMF.
Later, he was an economic advisor to
President José Sarney. In the private sector, he was vice
president of the Machline Group
Holding (Sharp, SID and Digibanco),
superintendent of the Lavra Group,
and associate director of Linear
Investimentos. Nowadays, he is the
president of Rosenberg & Associados, associate director of Rosenberg
Partners and, since 1999, has been a
member of the Nestlé Administrative
Council. He is an economic commentator for various radio programs and
newspapers in Brazil, such as Folha
de S.Paulo, Rádio Eldorado and Carta
Capital magazine.
No. 63 — December 2012
11
Steve McCurry, Pirelli Calendar 2013
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An interview with Héctor Vigliecca, one of Brazil’s most renowned
architects, who has won more than 40 prizes all over the world
By Andrea Torrente
Transforming
the urban landscape
Uruguayan by birth and Brazilian by
adoption,with Genovese blood in his
veins, 72-year-old Héctor Vigliecca
is a university professor and one of
Brazil’s most renowned architects,
having won more than 40 prizes
all over the world. After graduating in Montevideo, he headed for
Rome, where he spent four years
studying for a Masters degree at
the Università degli Studi.
“I arrived in 1968 after winning
a scholarship. They were very difficult years; the demonstrations
and protests had spread from Paris
all over Europe, the situation in
the universities was complicated,
there were strikes and lectures were
cancelled. But there was no need to
study architecture, you could learn
it just by living in Italy. Italy is one
big architectural monument.”
From 1974, the superstar architect
Vigliecca moved to São Paulo. And
for the World Cup in 2014, his studio
Vigliecca&Associados, founded in
1996 with Luciene Quel,has designed
the Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza
and the Baixada Arena in Curitiba
among other projects. We asked
him to take us on a guided tour of
this changing country, its hopes
and its problems.
No. 63 — December 2012
13
Steve McCurry, Pirelli Calendar 2013
In terms of town planning and architecture, how is Brazil changing?
In the last ten years,Brazil’s architectural output has begun to approach
the level of other countries. This
is due to the favourable economic
situation, but also to politicians who
have understood that architecture is
an extremely important weapon for
branding an administration.
Brazil’s cities have undergone
major transformations. São Paulo
alone has almost 11 million inhabitants. And the urban outlook is
continuing to evolve.
It’s a slow process: in the 60s, Brazilian cities began to expand out of all
proportion. Gigantic favelas (shantytowns) emerged in the outskirts.
Today the real problem is the lack of
infrastructure and public transport.
Population growth has not been accompanied by investment in public
transport, airports and railways. But
the situation is changing,albeit slowly.
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“Brazil is an unfinished building site.
You get the sensation of being in a country
in constant transformation”
In view of the World Cup and the
Olympics, billions of dollars have
been earmarked for infrastructure investments.
Yes, but it’s still inadequate compared to the size of the population.
I doubt the problem will be solved
by 2014. First and foremost because
there is no interconnected transport
system, like in Europe. There are
few motorways, the airports are
small and they are not connected
to either the train stations or the
underground lines; railways are
practically non-existent, and if you
have to travel by aeroplane you need
to get to the airport three hours early
because there’s too much traffic.
Nevertheless, Brazil currently
gives the impression of being an
enormous building site, where
new solutions are being tried out.
Is it really like that?
Sure,although Brazil is an unfinished
building site. You get the sensation
of being in a country in constant
transformation. On one hand that’s
clearly interesting, but on the other
hand it creates a feeling of instability.
You designed the re-urbanisation
of the favelas Paraisópolis and
Heliópolis in São Paulo and Morro dos Macacos in Rio de Janeiro.
How are the favelas changing?
To begin with, the favelas of São
Paulo are different from those in
Rio de Janeiro. In São Paulo you
don’t notice their presence because
they are marginal compared to the
rest of the city. But in Rio they are
an integral part of the urban fabric,
they are inside the city boundaries.
Are they a problem for future
urban development?
No, on the contrary. They are still
Brazil’s beating heart, the “melting
pot” where the country’s culture develops. Most of the population here
is less than 16 years old and the birth
rate is still growing by 14% a year.
Will they become one of the
country’s strengths?
The populations that live in these
districts are becoming more aware
and starting to organise themselves.
These days in the favelas you find
local newspapers, radio stations,
local television; in one favela in
Rio there’s even a symphony orchestra: that creates a very strong
sense of citizenship. In any case,
the last few years have seen an
important political change: from
being merely a social problem, the
favelas have begun to be perceived
as an architectural problem. Nowadays people come from all over the
world to study them. They are our
best export!
Meanwhile Rio is giving itself a
new look to face the millions of
tourists who will be arriving in the
next two years.
Rio is traditionally the city that first
became aware of its problems and
tried to solve them. The proposal
to transform all the favelas arose
from a public competitive tender.
What’s more, Rio has a personality
that makes change and integration
Héctor Vigliecca
easier. For example, every Sunday
the seafront is transformed into
a big urban party where all the
different social groups meet, from
the richest to the poorest. At that
moment the whole population feels
like it owns a part of the city: a
spatial condition that other cities
don’t have.
So all in all, despite some criticisms, the country is ready for
the big events coming its way?
Brazil has a tradition of organis-
ing big events and I’m sure it will
be capable of organising an outstanding World Cup and Olympics.
It will be a big success. Of course,
there will be problems, like there
are anywhere in the world.The stadiums will certainly be ready, the
infrastructure less so, but nothing
that might endanger the smooth
running of the events. The real
tragedy for Brazil would be losing
the final of the World Cup, maybe
against Uruguay, like happened in
1950 at the Maracanã.
No. 63 — December 2012
15
An interview with Steve McCurry, one of the world’s best known
photojournal­ists who has realized this edition of the “The Cal™”
By Simona Gelpi
The creator of the
fortieth edition of
“The Cal™” is Steve
McCurry, one of the
world’s best known
photojournalists, who has successfully depicted Brazil’s social and
economic transformation in recent
years,through the beauty and colours
that represent the soul of this South
American country. Steve McCurry
has been travelling and taking photographs for almost forty years. He
is constantly alert, focusing like a
hawk on the reality of things, ready
to find humanity in every image. For
proof, we need look no further than
the famous photo of the green-eyed
Afghan girl,now a contemporary icon.
In the course of a two-week shoot
in the streets and favelas of Rio, McCurry undertook one of his fascinating
journeys in search of man, journeys
characterised by his ability to cross the
boundaries of language and culture to
capture the stories, experiences and
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PIRELLI WORLD
attributes of people in distant lands.
In the 2013 Pirelli Calendar, the story
includes faces sketched with simple
graffiti, ordinary people and models
who, in this edition of “The Cal™”,
are all united by their commitment
to support NGOs, foundations and
humanitarian projects.
We interviewed McCurry, who describes himself as follows. “I would
say that I’m a street photographer
who depicts ‘found situations’. You
can take pictures of nudes anywhere.
But these models are clothed, and
each of them is personally involved
in charity work.They are determined,
idealistic people.That’s why I wanted
to photograph them somewhere special, and Rio was the perfect choice.”
This is not your first time in
Brazil. Could you tell us about
the other times you have found
yourself in the golden-green
continent? What affects you
every time and what changes
have you noticed now that you
have come back?
I’ve been to Brazil a few times on various editorial assignments. Perhaps
the most memorable visit was a trip
to Rio during Carnival,which gave me
a chance to see how the entire city
comes alive with music,dancing and
partying all night long. I remember
staying out and photographing until four in the morning, and the festivities were still going strong.
One of the major differences on this
trip was visiting many of the favelas in and around Rio. On previous
visits, it was unheard of to go there,
even with an armed security escort.
This time, we actually went in and
did several of our shoots in a favela,
unescorted. We photographed in a
well-known bed & breakfast which
has gotten many glowing write-ups
in international travel magazines.
The vantage-point from the favelas,
because they are up so high, makes
them some of the best places to see Rio.
Steve McCurry,
Pirelli Calendar 2013
as a part of Brazilian life. For example, Brazil has taken even the
art of graffiti to a whole new level.
I don’t think there is any place in
the world that comes close to its
range of imagery, its level of artistry, or its originality and beauty.
The Brazilians have an incredible
way of turning the mundane into
something quite profound.
We found the local people welcoming, hospitable and fun to work
with. There were many new sports
centres, which we visited and photographed, including a boxing gym
where we photographed young
female athletes. These are all signs
that Brazil is clearly a country undergoing some positive changes,
with a lot of new opportunities for
upward mobility.
Rio de Janeiro is the special
setting for the pictures: from
historic districts like Santa Teresa
to the favelas, home to one and
a half million people, not forgetting the pervasive intrusion of
nature into the landscape of
this iconic Brazilian city. What
inspired you most?
One of the fascinating aspects of
Rio is the city’s many different facets. There are the famous beaches
which we all know. There are also
world-class botanical gardens,
which we actually photographed
in. Within minutes of downtown
Rio, you can be in a tropical rainforest, and have the feeling you are a
thousand miles from civilisation.
The geography of the city makes
for some spectacular opportunities
for photography - landscapes like
nowhere else in the world. Brazil
has its own style. It’s full of life and
charm. Music, food, art and dance
are all embraced and celebrated
Although you are a travel reporter, you always try to interpret the
places you photograph through
human faces. How did Brazilian
faces affect you?
One of the wonderful qualities of
Brazil, and the Brazilian people, is
the amazing vibrancy to be found
everywhere in the culture. People
from all strata of society approach
even the most mundane tasks with
a joie de vivre that is simply infectious. I am always more interested in
the people that make the place than
the place itself, and in Brazil that is
truer than ever.They are warm and
inviting, energetic, friendly, and you
can’t help but get carried away in
the unique quality of life that is so
pervasive in Brazil in general, and
in Rio in particular.
In your pictures did you want to
bring out the backdrop of Brazil or were you concentrating
more on the faces you were
photographing? Did you let
Brazil’s untamed natural beauty
inspire you or did you start with
a clear idea already in mind?
I think the character of the city of
Rio is a very important element in
this project.Few places have so much
personality,such vibrancy and energy,
as Rio de Janeiro.There is a fascinating
sort of juxtaposition between modernity and history, the natural world
and the urban, order and chaos - Rio
is a city of opposites and contrasts,
but somehow that all converges and
works in a sort of beautiful harmony.
There is truly no place on Earth like
Rio, and this project could not have
been realised in quite the same way
anywhere else.
Steve McCurry with Tunisian top model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem
No. 63 — December 2012
17
The driver Carlo Pintacuda with
Enzo Ferrari at the 1935 Mille Miglia
18
PIRELLI WORLD
By Daniele Pirola
n Brazilian motor racing
jargon, drivers with a
reputation for being a
little crazy were once
known as “pintacudas”.
Indeed, Carlo Pintacuda needed
only three back-to-back victories
in the Brazilian Grand Prix - all
with Alfa Romeo, in 1936, 1937 and
1938 - to become a kind of national hero imported from Italy. And
naturally, he did it all on Pirelli
Stella Bianca tyres.
Pintacuda’s first win on Brazilian
soil was on the San Pablo circuit,
with the Alfa 8C, but the real
triumph came the following two
years, when the Florentine driver
emerged victorious at Rio - with
the Alfa 9C in 1937 and with the
308 in 1938 - at the deadly Gávea
Circuit, tellingly known as the
“devil’s springboard”….
Devil or no devil, it was thanks to
Pirelli tyres that Pintacuda - often
under torrential rain - always
managed to finish first and build
his Brazilian reputation as a
“winning madman”.
Juan Manuel Fangio was wearing
his usual expression, somewhere
between a stare and a scowl, in the
photo that portrayed him in the
March 1958 issue of “Notícias
Pirelli”, Pirelli’s corporate publication in Brazil. The headline was
“Fangio victorious in Interlagos”,
and the article explained how the
five-times world champion and
his Maserati had won the Interlagos race, promoted by the Brazilian
The Gávea Circuit in 1936
No. 63 — December 2012
19
A Pirelli advertisement in a 1967 edition
of the company newspaper Noticias
Automobile Club to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of its founding. At the end of the race, Fangio
“sang the praises of the Pirelli
Corsa tyres with which his powerful car was fitted”.
For Pirelli tyres, the Fifties and
Sixties were filled with victories in
the Brazilian races: the heroes were
the Extraflex “raiado” and the
Stelvio, which in 1957 enabled the
Fulgor-Especial of Celso Lara Barberis and Rugero Peruzzo to take
the 500 Quilômetros de Interlagos
while - on the same circuit - the
Chevrolet of Aristides Bertuol and
Orlando Menegaz won the Mil
Milhas Brasileiras.
But the team was soon joined by the
Cinturatotm, which in 1960 found a
winning partner in the debutant
Alfa Romeo FNM JK - jewel of the
Brazilian automobile industry. In
20
PIRELLI WORLD
Fangio in “Notícias Pirelli”, 1958
“The Pirelli
Cinturatotm left
a permanent
mark on motor
racing in every
corner of
Brazil”
to race and win in Italy. Francisco
“Chico” Landi, “the predecessor of
Fittipaldi, Piquet and Senna”, in 1987
looked out at us from the pages of
Via-Cinturatotm - the new name of
the Brazilian company newspaper
- at the age of 80. He told us his
story, the story of a Brazilian mechanic -the son of immigrants Pasquale and Antonietta Landi - with
a passion for cars and racing in his
blood, “to the point where his name
became a symbol of bravery at the
wheel”. While he was winning in
Brazil, he was noticed by Alfa
Romeo. But the Second World War
Chico Landi was the first, but he
was followed by others. Generations
of Brazilian drivers, who were loved
by Italians and especially by Pirelli.
In 1985, Nelson Piquet smiled and
pointed at his cap with the long ‘P’:
he had just won the French Grand
Prix in the Brabham with P7 tyres.
“My happiness was nothing compared to that of my mechanics, the
BMW people, Gordon Murray and
all the “Pirellians”. I know what it
feels like to win for the first time,
to wait for victory for months and
months, to feel that it’s right there
at hand but it continues to elude
April, the JK - “sporting Pirelli’s new
Cinturatotm tyre” - won the J.K.
Grand Prix Motor Race - its name
coming from the initials of the
president of the Republic, Juscelino
Kubitschek - which officially inaugurated the new capital Brasília. In
July, the Cinturado-FNM pairing
imposed itself on the 24 Horas de
Interlagos. In November, the legendary Francisco “Chico” Landi took it
upon himself to win the Mil Milhas
Brasileiras with the same old JK:
“the victory of a car fitted with our
regular tyres, produced in Capuava”.
So the Pirelli Cinturatotm left a permanent mark on motor racing in
every corner of Brazil, from the Cem
Milhas da Independência on the
Mineirão circuit of Belo Horizonte
to the Grande Prêmio do Nordeste
in Fortaleza, and from the Competição Automobilistica del Paranà
to the Semana da Velocidade di Interlagos. In 1966 alone, Pirelli tyres
won over 93 percent of races. While
the rest of Brazil was whistling “A
Banda” by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, the PR Office had a field day
saying that the Pirelli tyre is the
only one that doesn’t stop to watch
the “banda” go by...
in the Thirties, the Italian Pintacuda went to race in Brazil. In the
Forties, the Brazilian Landi came
Nelson Piquet, driver for Brabham-Pirelli, after
his victory in the 1985 F1 French Grand Prix
was about to break out, so Chico
had to wait until 1947 to come to
Italy, just to get a close look at the
Monza circuit, the temple of speed,
not to compete with the Italian
masters… but Chico stayed in Italy
and the following year, 1948, he won
the Gran Premio di Bari in a Ferrari.
It was such a surprise that the organisers did not even have a record
of the Brazilian National Anthem,
so they played “O Guarani” by
Carlos Gomes instead….
you. Then when it does come you
can’t quite believe it.”
Ayrton Senna smiled too, and
stared at a distant spot on the
track. It was 1984 and he was a
young test driver recruited by
Toleman: his debut would come in
the Brazilian Grand Prix in March
of the same year. The Pirelli technicians noticed him immediately,
saying: “This boy has quality. He
could go far…”.
No. 63 — December 2012
21
By Simona Gelpi
and Brazil:
Full Speed Ahead!
An exclusive interview with Bruno Senna, the
Formula 1™ driver with the Williams team, who
talks to us about his country, how Brazil has
changed, his roots (he is Ayrton Senna’s nephew),
and his experience in Formula 1™ this year
What is it like being a Brazilian
in Formula One™ these days,
in particular given your family
name and family history in
motorsport?
Brazil has a lot of history in Formula One™, lots of followers and
it is the second biggest sport in the
country just behind football, so for
sure there are plenty of knowledgeable fans. The country already had
three motorsport world champions
before and everybody wants to see
the next one. It is great to see all
this support from home and we
also have a nice home grand prix
that I and Felipe (Massa) love to
participate in. It is pretty special
to be part of a culture that loves
motor racing so much.
When you are back in Brazil do
people recognize you on the
streets? And if so, what is their
reaction?
Depending on where I am, people do
recognize me. They look at me and
they know me but it is a bit strange
because they won’t necessarily come
and talk to me. Sometimes they
just stand and look. I don’t know
if this is the same for other people
or not but it is definitely a slightly
strange situation.
Can you give our readers a quick
summary of how the season
went for you? Are you happy
with your results or could it have
been better?
You always believe you could have
done better. And this year has been
quite a tough learning curve for
me with many little things I had
to learn and to improve on. I have
improved a lot in many aspects and
learned a lot, so to treat Formula
One™ as a one-year affair is obviously not the right way because
you always learn more and more,
you improve more and more. This
year I had to start almost from zero
because this was my first full season
in Formula Onetm and I had to push
very hard. Some races could have
been better but in general I am
happy with my race performance
this year and we have been getting
stronger and stronger.
How did you manage to adapt to
the Pirelli tyres? Was it easy for
you or did they give you lots of
challenges and headaches? The tyres were definitely the biggest challenge of the whole learning curve. I think they are very
peculiar to drive and it suits some
driving styles more than others, so
if you are not in the circle of driving styles that suit the tyres, you
have to adapt which is very tough,
especially when the margin is so
small – we are talking about hundreds of a second of a margin here
which will put you in or out of Q3.
So it has been a very big challenge
but we got more and more on top
of the tyres as the season went on.
Next year we will have a few new
tyre compounds and structures, so
that could make it a bit broader in
terms of driving styles.
Brazil is one of the biggest
markets for Pirelli. Can you
tell us a bit about the profile
and public recognition of the
company in Brazil?
Pirelli is probably the best known
brand in Brazil; I am not only talking about tyres but about brands in
general, where Pirelli is up there
with names like Coca Cola etc. Pirelli
has been in Brazil for a very long
time and in the early 90s Pirelli
was one of the only tyre brands in
the country, so everybody knows
Pirelli. It is a very trusted brand as
well. We grew up with Pirelli and
you know: a legend is born.
Have you seen any changes in
Brazil in recent years? Not only
in motorsports but in society in
general?
I have been living abroad for many
years now, so when you go to Brazil
you see things happening, how
things are changing. For sure with
all the changes in politics, Brazil
has been shaping itself in a very
different way. Brazil is growing up
massively; it is becoming a huge
power economically. But unfortunately for us the difference between
the rich and the poor is becoming
bigger as well. So it is up to you
what you want to see and hopefully
this situation will change in the
future with a bit more time and
education.
What do you love about Brazil?
I love the culture, how friendly and
warm people are and the fighting
spirit that we have. And as a culture
– in terms of hard work and dedication – we are pretty much up there
with the best.
It is pretty
special to be
part of a culture
that loves
motor racing
so much
Is there anything you would
change about your country
if you could?
I would love Brazil not to have violence in the way it has, this would
probably make it the nicest country to go to. You would then get the
warmth of the people, the beautiful
nature and all the nice things this
country has to offer you without any
concerns at the back of your mind
and this would be amazing.
No. 63 — December 2012
23
By Marco Todarello
Rio+20
the future we want
is on the way
Expectations were enormous. If only because Rio+20,
the environmental conference of June 2012, came 20
years after the Earth Summit of 1992 that achieved
such historic milestones as the Climate Change Convention, which led to the Kyoto Protocol and the “action
plan for the environment” known as Agenda 21.
Before the summit even began, however, the absence
of important leaders like Barack Obama, David Cameron
and Angela Merkel led many to predict a dearth of
important decisions. The official document of the
summit - 50 pages, 283 paragraphs and 6 sections - has
a headline that is nonetheless full of hope (The future
we want). And even though it has been criticised en
masse by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and
environmental organisations, it asserts for the first
time the necessity of the green economy.
FIRST POINT
The first of the five points, the only one on which real
progress was made, is the Green Economy. Whereas
in the 1980s companies saw safeguarding the environment as just a cost, now it has become a business.
The document specifies that the green economy
should be aimed at eradicating poverty, with the main
objective of bridging the technological gaps between
developed and developing countries.
China was the first to play its part, assigning 6 million
dollars to the fund for the development of clean technologies and another 31 million for climate adaptation
in economically depressed areas.
SECOND POINT
The second point, the “Sustainable development goals”,
signals the need for binding decisions on climate
protection but postpones fixing any points until 2015.
24
PIRELLI WORLD
In September, the UN General Assembly indicated a
working group of 30 officials, which will have the task
of defining the goals, with an appropriate approach
to the three pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social, economic) in a process of intergovernmental negotiation. Its proposals will be presented in 2013.
THIRD POINT
The chapter on “Means of implementation” (in other
words technology transfer, reform of trade policies
and public aid for development), launched nother
intergovernmental process - again under the control
of the UN - which should lead to a strategy for the
financing of sustainable development through a set
of specific actions.
FOURTH POINT
This is about the “Institutional framework for sustainable development”, which many hoped would lead to
reform of UNEP, the United Nations Environment
Program, which monitors climate change. The proposal of the European Union and many African countries to transform the Program into a specialist Agency
was blocked by the United States, China, Russia and
India - the main producers of greenhouse gases.
However UNEP will no longer be financed by voluntary
contributions from the States but will have secure financial resources and representation from all members
of the United Nations.
FIFTH POINT
The last of the main points in the text relates to “Resources”. It supports the strengthening of financial
support for development through new partnerships
but above all - and this is the real innovation - through
private investment. This is “of vital importance”, according to the Italian Environment Minister Riccardo
Clini, “to provide unprecedented opportunities in the
battle against poverty and the transition to sustainable
economic growth”. Many Italian companies are already
committed on this front. And Pirelli was one of the
first to respond.
Newton Mesquita. Faixa 1, Rua da Consolação, 1979
On the right track
R
io+20, the UN Conference
on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro
from 20 to 22 June 2012, was
also an opportunity to restate
Pirelli’s commitment to creating a model for sustainable,
efficient growth, in line with the
sustainability objectives of the
2012-2014 Business Plan.
One of the projects aims to
reduce the environmental
impact of the manufacture of
tyres at the Campinas plant.
Pirelli’s technicians will calculate
the carbon footprint for the
whole lifecycle of a representative tyre produced in the plant,
as well as identifying more
sustainable and efficient actions
to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions linked to its lifecycle.
The carbon footprint calculation will also be done for the
bio-silica extracted from rice
husks and produced in Pirelli’s
Meleiro plant, in the Brazilian
state of Santa Catarina.
This innovative, eco-compatible
process, developed by Pirelli,
uses waste from rice processing to produce bio-silica, an
essential component in the tyre
compound with a lower
environmental impact than
silica produced using conventional methods.
Another project involves
technical and financial analysis
relating to the introduction of
solar thermal technology in
some phases of the tyre
manufacturing process, to
replace fossil fuel sources.
Pirelli’s commitment to reduce
its environmental impact led to
an 8% reduction in energy
consumption and CO2 emissions in 2011 compared to
2009, with 28% less specific
water withdrawal.
With over 80 years’ presence
and nine thousand employees
in Brazil, Pirelli now has five tyre
manufacturing plants (Gravataí,
Campinas, Santo André,
Sumaré and Feira de Santana).
Our environmental sustainability objectives include a reduction of 15% in both energy
consumption and CO2 emissions and a 70% reduction in
specific water withdrawal by
2015, compared to 2009 levels.
No. 63 — December 2012
25
Nani Gois, Sem título. 1982 – Paraná
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
Brazil is the
real automotive
By Alfredo Ranavolo
Incentives,consumer analysis and healthy competition to sharpen the wits.
The new promised land
of the automobile, Brazil,
is moving to consolidate its leadership.And to expand a market that is
already the fourth largest in the world
by purchases, with bright growth
forecasts.Over the course of a decade,
the car industry has developed at the
same rapid pace as the country itself:
according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers
(ANFAVEA), 16 foreign producers are
knocking at Brazil’s door. With 195
million inhabitants and the world’s
sixth largest economy, it offers opportunities that are hard to find in the
26
PIRELLI WORLD
major western markets, constrained
by the crisis, especially in Europe.
Over 4 million vehicles
in 2013
A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers
shows that sales for the year in progress will be largely unchanged at 3.5
million vehicles compared to 3.4 million in 2011.But in 2013 they will pick
up considerably, exceeding 4 million
in 2014 and reaching 4.9 million by
2017,with annual growth of 5% in the
total number of potential car buyers.
According to the analysts, by 2015
Brazil will already be the third largest
car market after the United States
and China. And the government is
aiming to further increase the 23 bil-
lion dollars which car manufacturers
have already predicted they will sell
in the country by that date.
Dilma rousseff’s
development decree
President Dilma Rousseff’s administration has been keeping itself busy
on this front.The latest scheme dates
from 3 October 2012, when the government published an ad hoc decree
for the development of the automotive industry. The goal is to create
the right economic conditions to
increase competitiveness and encourage businesses not only to make cars
cheaper and safer, but also to invest
in the entire production process, in
engineering, basic industrial technology, research and development
and employee training. In practice,
to ensure that the whole cycle can
be firmly rooted within the country.
Fiat and Volkswagen the
biggest investors
The Minister for Trade and Industry,
Fernando Pimentel,has promised a tax
credit of up to 30% for manufacturers
who commit to one or more of these
areas. The biggest spender will be
FIAT, with 5.9 billion dollars to split
between the new plant at Goiana and
the expansion of the existing one at
Betim. Next is Volkswagen with 5.2
billion.Lagging somewhat behind are
Ford, Peugeot and Chevrolet.
The race to invest is amply justified:
while Brazil is the fourth largest
market in the world for the sale of
automobiles,it is still only seventh in
terms of manufacturing.“We want to
reduce this gap,” declared Pimentel
when presenting the decree.
“A study by Accenture
shows that vehicle
innovation and new
functionality are
central to the way
buyers are thinking in
the premium segment
and others”
More cars, more technology
and more premium
Demand from new consumers could
therefore have the effect of a flywheel, pushing manufacturers ever
upwards, towards high-end models
and new ranges.
A study by Accenture shows that vehicle innovation and new functionality are central to the way buyers are
thinking in the premium segment
and others.
“89% of Brazilians would like a system
of automatic alarms for mechanical problems. Moreover, 86% want
an automated emergency system
to send an alarm in the event of an
accident,” explains the consulting
company’s analyst Leandro Freitas.
He continues: “A lot of importance is
placed on equipment for monitoring
the vehicle,also in the event of it being
stolen,and on in-car entertainment.”
But it’s not just safety that Brazil’s
consumers are thinking about. Style
and quality, according to Accenture’s
research,are both considered important factors, leading directly to the
desire for products with a high profile
and an established brand identity.
It’s no accident that Italian-made
automotive products have a good
reputation in Brazil.
Incentives for
manufacturers
In order to qualify for the tax credit
offered in the new regulations, car
manufacturers must carry out at
least six of the twelve identified
phases of production in Brazil in
2013. That will increase to seven in
2014-2015 and eight in 2016 and 2017.
The regulations may be destined
to become an example for the rest
of the world.
The package of incentives is not
aimed solely at existing plants and
activities, but also at companies
wishing to invest in new plants,
whether they already have a presence in Brazil or not: in the latter
case, the tax credit is equivalent to
50%. Half of it can be used during
the factory construction phase, the
other half once it becomes operational. Its activity must in any case
always be focused on research.
A close eye on
the environment
and flex-fuel engines
This way,according to Marcelo Cioffi,
a Brazilian analyst with PricewaterhouseCoopers,“the ultimate effect of
the new policies will be the development of a very wide range of suppliers in the automobile sector, which
could become even larger than it is
today, encouraging new players to
enter the market.”
The objective of improving vehicles’
energy efficiency standards requires
manufacturers to commit to improving performance by 12.08% compared
to current levels by 2016, incentivising the use of biofuels over petrol. In
Brazil,“flex-fuel” engines,which can
use petrol, biofuels or a mixture of
the two, have been popular for years.
In fact, ethanol, generally produced
from sugar cane, accounts for 20% of
the country’s consumption.
BRAZIL · Automotive
Industry Overview
20
3,7
Assemblers
thousand Dealers
53
1,5
Industrial units in
9 states, 39 cities
million
Employees
91,5 121,5
US$
billion Sales
US$
billion Revenue
5%
21%
total GDP share
Industrial
24,8 34,7
US$
billion Exports
billion Imports
4,3
61
US$
US$
million production billion Investments
capacity/year
1994-2011
The standoff with mexico
This evolution of the market can
probably be interpreted as an effect
of the competition between Brazil and
another Latin American giant: Mexico.
Although they have historically been
partners, the Rousseff government
has recently been engaged in a tricky
tug-of-war with its rival, in a bid to
limit imports from Mexico City.
The Brazilian government decided
to intervene when imports from the
North American state increased by
70% in 2011.The agreement reached
sets a limit on exports of light vehicles from Mexico to Brazil for the
next three years.They cannot exceed
a value of 1.46 billion dollars in 2012,
1.56 billion the following year and 1.64
billion in 2014. Scarcely a free trade
agreement, but specialisation and
consolidation are currently Dilma
Rousseff’s top priorities. And the
struggle goes on.
No. 63 — December 2012
27
Newton Mesquita. Augusta com Paulista, 1979
28
PIRELLI WORLD
Brazil and Pirelli
By Antonio Calabrò
side by side
for over 80 years
razil and Pirelli: a bond that has lasted
over 80 years, covering most of the twentieth century and tracing the history of a
country in search of modernity, economic development and higher standards of
living. A bond that has grown stronger over time,
through industry, culture and sport. From the Twenties
to the first wave of industrialisation (with the powerful
contribution of entrepreneurs of Italian origin, like the
Matarazzo family) and on to the Fifties and Sixties of
mass car ownership, promoted by the president Juscelino Kubitschek, from the long
years of crisis to economic recovery
and social inclusion during the
presidencies of Cardoso, Lula and
now Dilma Rousseff.
Of the over 600 Italian companies with manufacturing plants in Brazil (a far-sighted choice, supplying
markets with strong, rapid growth), Pirelli is, along
with Fiat, one of the oldest and best established.
Brazil is growing at an impressive pace, despite the
major global crisis. It has earned a place among the
big players on the global political scene and in the
major organisations, like the IMF, which govern economic choices. It has a strong domestic market, which
will be fuelled in the coming years by the success of
its public policies of social inclusion. It has access to growing
foreign markets, from the rest of
Latin America to China, for its
exports.And it is a highly attractive
destination for foreign investment
and capital. For years, it has been
“the country of the future”, a future
which, however, thanks to one crisis
after another, never arrives. Now the
future is finally taking shape, and
its shape is that of a modern nation
rich in agriculture, industry, energy
and financial services.
“With Brazil
we have a historic
bond and a future
of investment
and growth, in line
with the rhythm
of the country”
Pirelli tyres: the market leader in
Brazil, then as now. Pirelli factories
and jobs. The Pirelli brand, highly
present in the minds of consumers.
Pirelli, the supporter of cultural,
social and sporting activities. Of
the Group’s six billion in global
revenue, a third comes from South
America, for the most part Brazil,
with production in five plants,
giving work to around 11 thousand
people. “With Brazil we have a historic bond and a future of investment and growth, in
line with the rhythm of the country”, claims Marco
Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s president.
The public shares this sense of belonging. For four
years, Pirelli has been the brand Brazilians remember
best in all product categories (with a male target
market), based on the “Top of Mind” research conducted by the “Folha de São Paulo” publishing group.
The bond between Brazil and Pirelli
goes back a long way, to 1929 when,
despite the stormy atmosphere
that was to culminate in the Wall Street crash, bringing chaos to half the global the economy, Pirelli and
General Electric had between them bought all the
shares of the Companhia Nacional de Artefactos de
Cobre-CONAC, along with a new area in Santo André,
25 km from São Paulo, in which to build a new plant.
For cables. And then, from 1941, for tyres as well. The
agreement with Dunlop and the signing of the
No. 63 — December 2012
29
Carybé. A Busca, 1969
“Union” led, in 1970, to the acquisition of the Campinas factory, also in São Paulo’s industrial area. It
rapidly became the Group’s largest plant, “the flowery
factory in the City of Swallows”, as it was poetically
described in “Notícias Pirelli”, the company journal.
Next, a factory at Gravataí, in the Rio Grande do Sul,
for motorcycle tyres. And then, at Sumaré, a plant for
manufacturing steel cord, the wire that strengthens
tyres and, most importantly, the first tyre testing
track in the whole of Latin America. And finally, at
Feira de Santana, about a hundred kilometres from
Salvador da Bahia, the “ecological factory”, where the
most advanced eco-compatible manufacturing processes have been applied and which, in the Nineties,
was acknowledged by Vigilante do Meio Ambiente as
a model of environmental conservation.
Indeed it was at Feira de Santana in 2003, while
inaugurating the completely renovated factory in
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PIRELLI WORLD
the presence of the then President of the Republic
of Brazil Lula, that Marco Tronchetti Provera insisted on the strategies that link economic success
in Brazil with quality of work, quality of the environment, corporate social responsibility and overall
development: “The thing that best repays the commitment of our company and that of the management team, the thing that encourages us to keep
pursuing the path of progress and development in
this great country, is the enthusiasm of the people
who work in our factories and their pride in belonging to a great international Group, one which is
technologically at the cutting edge. The success and
the competitive strength of a company are measured
first and foremost by the quality and professionalism
of the people who work there, and for Pirelli, investing in the training and qualification of human resources is a top priority.”
And that brings us to the present. To the new investments to enlarge, modernise and improve the Group’s
industrial plants, in every sector, from automobile
and industrial vehicles to “special vehicles”. This
response to the growing demand for agricultural
machinery and vehicles for the construction industry is linked to the plans for agriculture and infrastructure development throughout Brazil. The factories? Technological, innovative and high-quality. And
the rest? Sport - Pirelli teams in Brazil have won 1,700
trophies over the years. Solidarity. And culture.
Because Pirelli is also associated with, for example,
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection: twenty-one
years of commitment and over 1,100 images by the
best Brazilian photographers documenting the “Retratos do Brasil”, in other words the evolution of Brazilian history and society. Not forgetting the collection
of 130 works of art by painters like Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Carybé and Clóvis Graciano, examples of
artistic modernism and modernity, depictions of
work and life.
There’s another aspect, one which Pirelli people in
Brazil love to talk about, a sort of synthesis of origins
and current events, along the lines of a “green” sensibility embracing both environmental and social
solidarity, tied to Brazil’s unique economic culture.
Here’s the story. In 1945 Pirelli had acquired the
Fazenda Oriboca in Belém, in the state of Pará,
marking a return to producing natural rubber, thirty
Emiliano di Cavalcanti. Gabriela, 1970
and cultural associations. In these
experiences of Oriboca and Una, a
special attention for the conditions of the seringueiros (natural
rubber collectors) had been established. The same attention could
be seen again at the end of the
Nineties with the launch of a
project to support the seringueiros
communities of the village of
Xapuri (where the battle against
the landowners, guided by Chico
Mendes, began), in the provision
of training for the local workforce,
the improvement of the extraction
process and the purchase of the
rubber produced at “fair trade”
prices. And in the Feira de Santana
plant, they began to manufacture
the “Xapuri” tyre, produced with
natural rubber extracted by the seringueiros of the
state of Acre. An example of how modern industry,
through the fusion of Italian and Brazil cultures, can
demonstrate new facets of sustainability.
“Pirelli is also associated with the Pirelli/
MASP photography Collection: twentyone years of commitment and over 1,100
images by the best Brazilian photographers
documenting the “Retratos do Brasil”,
in other words the evolution of Brazilian
history and society. Not forgetting
the collection of 130 works of art
by painters like Emiliano Di Cavalcanti,
Carybé and Clóvis Graciano”
years after the first plantations in Java. Soon after
came the Fazenda Una, in the state of Bahia. And
there, schools had been created for children and
adults, along with homes, health clinics, sports clubs
No. 63 — December 2012
31
ne of the crowning
achievements of the
company’s 80-year
presence in Brazil is
the Pirelli Collection
at the São Paulo Art Museum (MASP).
Much more than a monument to
the period photograph, it’s also the
photo album of a country discovered
and rediscovered, in twenty years of
exhibitions, through the lenses of
the world’s greatest photographers.
An interview with
José Teixeira Coelho, chief curator
of MASP-Museum of Art of São Paulo
The first edition of the “Coleção” in
1991 set in motion the exploration
of a “new world” of artistic photography in Latin America.Today, with
a catalogue over 1,100 works in his
care,curator José Teixeira Coelho has
two maxims: “Look to the classics
and be open to the new.”
High-calibre collecting plus an
eye on what’s new. How do you
combine the two?
It’s all about rewarding quality.
Every year, for the last 17 editions,
the Pirelli-MASP commission has
selected the works of the most accomplished photographers, three or
four at a time,which were exhibited
and then purchased by Pirelli.
Just old masters?
Absolutely not.We decided, together
with Pirelli, to pay increasing attention to new work. To “young”,
contemporary artists.
What is the value of the initiative?
It highlights on an artistic heritage
of immense value, not only for Brazil.
We’re not interested in documentary
or journalistic photography, but in
photography as art: our primary
objective is to acknowledge the artistic value of photography. It doesn’t
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PIRELLI WORLD
Mario Cravo. Mona Lisa, 1989
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
matter whether the photographer is
a past master or a newcomer. We’re
interested in all of them.
But in a country in the midst of a
transformation, photography has
a not insignificant role in documenting change.
Of course,sometimes artistic photography also has a documentary function.That’s true in the case of Pierre
Verger, the French master famous
for his anthropological study of the
shantytowns of Bahia, which combines beauty with social document.
The star of the show is not so much
the photographers as Brazil itself….
In the beginning, the MASP exhibitions were dedicated exclusively
to Brazilian artists. In the last few
years,the catalogue has also included
foreign artists, like Verger, who have
spent long periods of time in Brazil.
Who are the artists that you have
helped to showcase?
In the last edition, ten top-class photographers were selected and represented by a series of very important
works,which Pirelli then purchased
and added to the Collection.The most
significant artists included Claudia
Andujar, a photographer who has
spent a lot of time with the indios:
a fine piece of work. Geraldo De Barros, a leading name in the field of
Brazilian photography, principally
associated with the concretist movement of the 60s. Pierre Verger, Mario
Cravo Neto, two past masters, and
Miguel Rio Branco, an exceptionally
talented “young” artist.
When you were appointed as
head of the MASP in 2006, the
museum was going through a period of financial crisis. Those dark
days are now over. But how can
art survive in times of crisis?
Supporting art in Brazil has always
been difficult, crisis or no crisis. One
needs to tune in to what people want
and make what one is offering appealing.In the last six years our audience
has more than doubled; this year the
MASP had 800,000 visitors.The problem
is that the public sector has trouble
understanding and satisfying the needs
of people who are hungry for real art.
Mario Cravo, Lord of the Head, 1988
the Pirelli/MASP photography Collection
“The Pirelli
Collection is the
most enduring
example of publicprivate cooperation
in the arts in Brazil’s
history”
Are private contributors necessary?
Of course. It’s only thanks to private
donations and, above all, Pirelli’s
contribution that the MASP has
become what it is today.
How has Pirelli’s support made a
difference to the museum?
Quite simply, its help is essential.
Let’s not forget that the Pirelli Collection is the most enduring example of public-private cooperation
in the arts in Brazil’s history. It’s
something quite unique. Sometimes
it happens, here just like in Europe,
that a foreign company finances
an event or an exhibition, then
makes way for a different sponsor
the following year. But Pirelli has
demonstrated an unparalleled devotion to art through its constant
support for over 40 years.
A rarity then.
Yes, and the MASP isn’t all.The Pirelli
calendars are a classic here in Brazil too. Their images permeate the
Brazilian imagination at all levels
of society, from the most humble to
the most sophisticated reader. Each
new issue is awaited with trepidation and greeted with jubilation.
A portrait of Brazil
O
ver 130 works by the
greatest painters of
twentieth century Brazil:
from the “Parisian” Emiliano
Di Cavalcanti to Heitor dos
Prazeres, from Carybé to the
autodidact of Italian ancestry, Clovis Graciano. Expressing Pirelli’s global approach
to Brazilian art, the MASP
photographic collection (the
first in the country, with 297
artists and almost 1,200
works) is joined by an
important collection of
paintings kept at the Group’s
headquarters in São Paulo.
Helped by the commissions
for the Brazilian editions of
the Pirelli Calendar, like
“Móveis Antigos do Brasil”
(1964), “Cinquenta anos de
Samba” (1968), “O Garimpo”
(1970), “O Carnival” (1983),
the collection has been
enriched over the last 40
years by “tailored” pictorial
masterpieces, exhibited by
Pirelli in the exhibition
“Retrato do Brasil” at the
biennial in 2009. From the
Picasso-influenced modernism of Di Cavalcanti to the
homegrown inspiration of
Genaro de Carvalho, by way
of the geometric abstractions of Lucca-born Alfredo
Volpi, the most famous of the
second-generation ItaloBrazilian modernists.
No. 63 — December 2012
33
New Ambassadors
stou aqui. Sempre estive. E sempre estarei. I am
here, I have always been here, I will always
be here.The title of book by Carlos Eugenio
Marcondes de Moura, but also a mantra that
pervades the soul of all Brazilians, expressing a genuine love for the country.
This pride in their origins has reached new heights
now that the country is emerging as a power on the
world stage and a wave of well-being has transformed
the population, turning Brazilians into seekers of
beauty, consumers of global glamour and trendsetting
party people. And now Brazil is exporting a new set
of ambassadors, accompanied by the sounds of the
samba, a balletic ability on the ball and a passion for
beautiful objects that encapsulate entire worlds. This
team of young champions talk to us about the nation’s
transformation with a hint of the saudade do Brasil.
We all recognise Brazil’s strength on the football field.
Today the world is applauding the prodigy Neymar da
Silva Santos Júnior, better known as
Neymar, born in 1992. The boy with
the golden feet is an under-20 world
champion and a striker of outstanding ability, with a speciality that
could earn him a place in history:
he always scores from the corner. It’s
not just Brazil that is expecting great
things from this new discovery, but
the whole world. National footballing legend Pelé has said of him: “He
could be even better than me.”
The big European clubs have noticed
him, but none has yet secured his
services.Another Brazilian phenomenon who has already arrived in Italy
is Philippe Coutinho. The twentyyear old has been wearing the colours
of Inter Milano for almost three years, although a piece
of heart remains in his native land.
“I spent eighteen years of my life there. I love my
country and wouldn’t swap it for any other. The
climate, the people and the sea are three things I
adore and whenever I can I go back to Rio,” he tells
us. He proudly explains how his country has changed:
“Now you can see the prosperity, you can see a country
that is eager to grow. What’s more, with the World
Cup and the Olympics on the way, Rio is building
new infrastructure that can only improve the city
and make it a better place to live in future, creating
new opportunities for everyone. A middle class has
emerged in Brazil that didn’t exist even a few years
ago.” Meanwhile, on the field, the Italian approach
undoubtedly seems more complicated to a young
Brazilian: “Here in Italy the attacker has to pay attention to the way the whole team plays, to the patterns worked out in training. Being able to score goals
isn’t enough.”
“I spent eighteen years
of my life there.
I love my country
and wouldn’t swap
it for any other ”
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PIRELLI WORLD
Philippe Coutinho
Steve McCurry, Pirelli Calendar 2013
“Isn’t Milan’s cathedral
exuberant too, in its
spectacular beauty?”
lavishly exhilarating in its colours,
its materials and its originality.
“Isn’t Milan’s cathedral exuberant
too, in its spectacular beauty?”
Mind you, being glamorous in modern-day Brazil means first and foremost “behaving in a natural way, low
Rodrigo Almeida
profile, without arrogance”: a very
Brazilian concept of humility and
the desire to learn from others.
To understand the country and its
The keywords are exuberance and history. In terms of art, the designer has three pieces of advice: “Ask a Bracolours, creations and style. That’s the personal and zilian to cook something for you. Visit Paraty, the city
professional line followed by a new generation of de- between Rio and São Paulo. And explore Amazonia.” A
signers: young, well-trained and willing to travel over- way of discovering Brazil’s profusion in each of its forms.
seas to promote their work. Like Rodrigo Almeida,
currently one of the world’s best known designers of But Almeida is just one of Brazil’s many exports.Another
chairs and furniture. Self-taught and highly inventive, symbol of the new generation is Tété Knecht, the 34-yearin just a few years he has made a name for himself old Swiss-Brazilian designer who has made an art out
even in Milan, the industry’s heartland. His output is of recycling, moving effortlessly from shoes to furniture
No. 63 — December 2012
35
using recycled material.The same approach is espoused
by the Campana brothers, who have emerged from the
shantytowns of Rio to establish themselves making
imaginative use of second-hand materials. Fernando
and Humberto, among the kings of contemporary design,
are in no doubt: the secret of Brazil is its multiculturalism. In Santa Cecilia, the district of Rio where they live
and work, hundreds of languages and colours mingle to
from a variegated community. So the two of them had
the idea of “translating Brazilian identity into design,
for example interpreting what you see in the poorest
communities and creating a bridge between the world
of primitive craftsmanship and the modern, industrialised world.”
Someone else riding this wave of transformation is
Henrique Oliveira, born in 1973,who has turned his hand
to painting, sculpture and installations, using recycled
and recyclable material, from wood to plastic. It’s no
surprise that critics have defined his work “masterpieces of urban debris”.
In Brazil,the important thing is to have the right backdrop.
Life plays out to an endless soundtrack, from timeless
music like that of Caetano Veloso to the more contemporary sounds of Seu Jorge and Marisa Monte,who mix rock
and samba: anything goes as long as you keep moving.
But Brazil is a country that is making significant moves
to enrich itself culturally. Paula Cademartori, a designer of bags that carry her brand, who has lived in Milan
for some time, explains: “Brazil is growing in the fashion
world and I hope that local designers understand not
to take too much inspiration from foreign catwalks, to
preserve a national identity as well.”
“I hope that local designers
understand not to take
too much inspiration from
foreign catwalks, to preserve
a national identity as well”
Paula Cademartori
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PIRELLI WORLD
But be careful not to fall for the “samba and bikinis”
stereotype,which is far removed from reality. “People in
Brazil today have greater spending power and more opportunity to see the world and have contact with other
cultures.This enriches the individual, as well as society
and the country as a whole. I’m happy with the improvement in living standards in Brazil, but I’m worried about
the economy, and in particular about the consequences
of this economic boom on the country.” One of its effects
is the difficulty many successful Brazilians experience
in trying to return home and sell their products: “It’s
hard for me to sell in Brazil; I’m hoping to succeed but
there are import taxes that increase prices by as much
as 150%”.There’s nothing for it but to go back every now
and then to feel the refreshing wind of change. And for
those who don’t know the country, Paula’s advice is: “Go
to Rio de Janeiro, a city blessed by God,with outstanding
natural beauty, and get a taste of Brazilian life. But also
go to São Paulo, closer to Europe in its frenetic pace, and
catch at least one exhibition at the MASP (modern art
museum). Also taste Brazilian food and visit the beaches
in the north.” For those staying at home,she recommends
one film above all others: “City of God” (Cidade de Deus),
a story of personal and national growth, through the
eyes of someone who escapes the shantytown to create
a new life, with humility and exuberance, energy and
culture. Just like what is happening in Brazil today.
Annette Spiro
Niggli Verlag (2009)
Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Works and project
Alfred A. Knopf (2002)
Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution
in Brazil
Christopher Idone
Brazil: A Cook’s Tour
Caetano Veloso
Clarkson Potter (1995)
Wiley (2012)
Brazil is the New America: How Brazil Offers
Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World
Jorge Amado
O País do Carnaval
James Dale Davidson
Schmidt (1931)
Palgrave Macmillan (2012)
Brazil on the Rise: The Story of a Country
Transformed
Mário de Andrade
Macunaíma
Larry Rohter
Adelphi (1976)
Phaidon Press Ltd (2007)
The Curves of Time
Oscar Niemeyer Memoirs
Riordan Roett
The New Brazil
Oscar Niemeyer
Brookings Institution Press (2011)
Sérgio Buarque de Holanda
Raízes do Brasil
Comp. das Letras (1995)
Thomas E. Skidmore
Oxford University Press (2009)
Brazil: Five Centuries of Change
Steve McCurry, Pirelli Calendar 2013