SpeakerInspired by Brazilian street life and carnival culture, the Campana Brothers combine found everyday objects - such as scraps of wood and furry toys - with advanced technology to create a vibrant, energetic and specifically Brazilian approach to design.
Their cues come from everyday scenarios and, using unexpected combinations of found materials - such as rubber hose, tissue paper, string or fabrics, Fernando and Humberto Campana transform mundane materials into objects that celebrate the discarded and are instilled with the spirit of contemporary Brazil.
Neither of them intended to be a designer. Humberto, born in the Rio Claro area of São Paulo in 1953, originally studied law but began to design furniture in the mid 1980s after Fernando, born in Brotas in 1961, had completed his degree in architecture.
Central to their practice are the materials they use. The challenge, as the Campanas see it, is to transform something worthless into something worthwhile. In the Vermelha chair, they tie brilliantly coloured cord through a metal frame while their Sushi chair transforms strips of brightly coloured plastic and carpet underlay into decorative rolls, which then upholster a basic frame. This process of transformation has injected a new energy into contemporary design by presenting a bold, vibrant alternative to the rationalist ideals of the long dominant European modern movement.