On March 1, 1989, fans who went to Morumbi saw, for the first time, something that characterizes and identifies the São Paulo Stadium to this day: the “Tricolor Waves”.
If on the field, the São Paulo team beat Mogi Mirim by 3-0, in a game against Paulistão, with goals from Bernardo, Marcelo and Raí, outside the four lines what remained for history was the artistic conception that all are – Paulino immediately recognizes.
The Ondas Tricolores in the 1989 season.
The “Ondas Tricolores” were born from a project from the late 1980s. In addition to the design around the football field, the artistic concept also reached the rings and access entrances to the stands, with a model that aimed not only to leave Cícero Pompeu of Toledo even more beautiful, as well as making it easier for fans to find themselves in the stadium. Thus, for the first time in Brazil, a visual identity project was created for the stadium.
Finally, like the jewel in the crown, the traditional and revered “São Paulo Concrete Shield” was installed on the side of the field, opposite the television booths. (The emblem appeared a few years earlier, but it was not fixed and was located behind the goal located next to the main gate. And on March 1, 1989, it was made of wood and cement, with built-in lighting, but it had not yet been finalized. and was covered with a plastic tarp).
What few people know is that the 9,500 square meter space of “Ondas Tricolores” was designed by two great women: Amélia Bratke and Sônia Vidigal, both at the time of Trópica Paisagismo. Bratke, an architect trained at USP, famous for working with projects aimed at preserving the environment, with the reuse of materials and sustainable solutions. Vidigal, on the other hand, is renowned for works that make better use of interior space with the use of plants.
By the way, in the original conception, the “Ondas Tricolores” were a mixture of plant seedlings in almost all their extension: 120 thousand seedlings of black grass and 62 thousand seedlings of red iresine (a kind of amaranth flower) surrounded the 55 meters cubes of white dolomite stone, thus making Morumbi essentially tricolor.
Today, the three colors are made of dyed dolomites, but the pattern created by Amélia Bratke and Sônia Vidigal transformed Morumbi forever, bringing São Paulo supporters closer to home.