MAISON&OBJET Americas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/676176
m&O m&O 48 m a i s o n - o b j e t. c o m photography by adrien millot, courtesy of friedman benda & estudio campana T h e A m er i cA s Humberto & Fernando Ca mpana Humberto Campana studied law in Brazil in the late 1970s and now secretly wishes he had known then that it was not his true calling. Nonetheless, the path he ultimately chose has been marked by exceptional success. He and his brother, Fernando, have made a name for themselves with limited-edition desig ns that playfully question materials, form, and aesthetics. From their beginnings in the early '80s—selling baskets—the duo has gone on to produce extraordinary designs that reference Brazilian craft and take inspiration from the landscape of their home country. The charming and energetic designers are as vibrant in character as they are in their color choices. How has your past shaped your professional present? We lived a childhood surrounded by nature, and that's what brought us to design. When we were kids, we built our- selves a personal universe, and that's what made us creative. Our father was an agricultural engineer and our mother was a primary-school teacher. We lived in a house with an unpaved basement and a vast backyard, surrounded by fruit trees and streams leading to waterfalls and lakes. We would go to the cinema in the evening, and during the day we would have fun in the nature around the farm. We remember that we used to play at re-creating the settings of films and making tree houses using bamboo and other plants. There were many bamboo plantations in the area. How does where you call home inspire your creative practice? Brazil is a very important source of inspiration for us. Brazilian multiculturalism nourishes our creations. Translating Brazilian identity into design is one of our most important challenges. But we actually find inspiration every where we go—mainly in life's magnitude, in nature, and in craft traditions that are disappearing. What is your prediction for the evolution and future of design? The future is related to new technolog ies and the possibilities that will result to allow the creation of clean, inno - vative, and sustainable objects—while keeping craft traditions and cultural heritages alive. We believe in preserving millenary craft techniques by bringing improvements and sophistication to modernize them. —E.C. n The Pirarucu Sofa by the Campana brothers is made with the tanned skins of the pirarucu, the world's largest freshwater fish, found in the Amazon. The heavily textured skins are applied by French artisans and are juxtaposed with bamboo on the back and sides.