Fernando and Humberto Campana

Inspired by Brazilian street life and carnival culture, the 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.

2008 - Design Miami "Designer of the Year"

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo – Jenette Chair, Anenome Chair, Cone Armchair, Zig-Zag Stool

Museum of Modern Art, New York, Corallo Chair, Inflating Table, Vermelha Chair, Cone Chair

Montreal Fine Art Museum, Corallo Chair

Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Paris, Sushi

Museum of Design, Lausanne – Jeannette Chair

The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh – Sculpture Screen

Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich – Vermelha Chair

Vitra Design Museum, Germany – Favela Chair

Centre George Pompidou, Paris – Favela Chair and Vermelha Chair

The Manchester Museum, Oxford –Favela Chair

Francisco Capelo Collection, Centro Cultural Behem, Portuagal – Vermelha Chair, Plastico Bolha Chair, Bambu Chair

Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv – Anenome Chair

Vitra Design Museum, Germany – Cardboard Chair, Garden Hose Chair

Museum of Modern Art Sao Paulo – Inflating Table

Museum of Decorative Art of Montreal – Inflating Table

Association Jaqueline Vodoz e Bruno Danese, Milan – Touch Pillow