Hasta La Ideas

New work by the Campana Brothers including a cabinet made from the skin of the world’s largest freshwater fish is on show at gallery Friedman Benda in New York (+ slideshow).

The exhibition features several new series, including Boca – a range of pieces upholstered in a patchwork of roughly stitched cowhide.

The Pirarucu cabinet is made from the leathery skin of the eponymous fish, which is sustainably harvested in Brazil.

Racket is a collection of chairs and screens made from bent brass rods with nylon threads used for the seat and back, which also features sections taken from the backs of old Thonet chairs.

The Fitas series consists of a buffet, cabinet and table featuring surfaces filled in with spiralling strips of bent steel.

A new sofa and chair covered in stuffed alligators is made by Orientavida, an NGO that teaches underprivileged women embroidery skills.

The Detonado chair is made from stainless steel with a wicker patchwork covering the arms, back and seat.

Amethyst rocks sourced from the brothers’ home city of Sao Paulo are fixed to glass surfaces in the Ametista collection.

Concepts is the first solo gallery show dedicated to the work of the Campana Brothers in the United States and is at gallery Friedman Benda until 3 July.

A collection of furniture decorated with detailed gold motifs by Fernando and Humberto Campana is currently on show at David Gill gallery in London and their bed surrounded by hairy raffia curtains was presented in Milan in April.

See more design by the Campana Brothers »
See more architecture and design exhibitions »

Photography is by Fernando Laszlo, except where stated otherwise.

Here’s some more information from the gallery:

Campana Brothers: Concepts
June 5-July 3, 2013
Opening reception: Wednesday, June 5, 6-8 PM

New York, NY — Friedman Benda will present Campana Brothers: Concepts, the first solo gallery show in the United States by the renowned Brazilian designers, June 5-July 3, 2013.

The exhibition will introduce several new bodies of work that demonstrate a different direction for the brothers, while offering a complex and in-progress view of their practice as it stands during a pivotal moment in their careers. Loose and experimental in nature, Concepts will see the Campanas exploring a series of new approaches to their practice while overturning previously held certainties and expectations.

Arguably the most influential and acclaimed designers from any emerging country in the world, the Campana Brothers’ work is strongly influenced by their home country, Brazil, and thematically touches upon issues ranging from globalization to sustainability. Light-hearted and playful in nature, the Campanas’ designs often employ the use of recycled and humble materials, elevating these materials to a higher level in the creation of works that cross cultural boundaries while incorporating themes of transformation and reinvention.

The new works for Concepts include the Boca (Portuguese for “mouth”) series–new works in cowhide including a wall-mounted bookshelf, table, and standing shelf; the Racket collection–chairs and a screen in bent brass with a nylon stitched base and a hand-stitched motif made from remnant Thonet chair backings; Fitas (Portuguese for “stripe”)–a buffet, cabinet, and table made from bent steel; Pirarucu — a cabinet made out of the sustainably harvested tanned and leathered skin of the Brazilian Pirarucu, the world’s largest fresh water fish; and the Ametista collection–a series of glass hanging panels adorned with Sao Paulo-sourced amethyst rocks. Concepts will also include a new sofa and chair created out of a series of life-like stuffed alligators made by OrientVida, an NGO that employs underprivileged women.

The Campana Brothers, Fernando (born 1961) and Humberto (born 1953) have steadily built a career, achieving both national and international recognition since opening their studio in 1983. Based in Sao Paulo, Estudio Campana is constantly investigating new possibilities while creating bridges and dialogues where the exchange of information is a source of inspiration.

Campana pieces are part of the permanent collections of renowned cultural institutions including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, and the Museum of Modern Art in Sao Paulo.

The brothers were honored with the Designer of the Year Award in 2008 by Design Miami/ and were awarded the Designers of the Year Award by Maison & Objet in 2012. That same year they were selected for the Comité Colbert Prize in Paris, honored at Beijing Design Week, and received the Order of Cultural Merit in Brasilia. In May 2013, they will be awarded the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris.

The post Concepts by the Campana Brothers
at Friedman Benda appeared first on Dezeen.

Furniture adorned with an intricate collage of gold and bronze motifs by the Campana Brothers is on show at the David Gill St James’s gallery in London (+ slideshow).

Referencing ornate baroque decoration from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana created a series of items from jumbles of metal emblems and figures.

Gold and bronze keys, leaves, animals and figurines were all welded together to create elements such as the legs of stone tables and furry chairs.

Shades for floor and pendant lights were constructed in the same way, while small gold crocodiles pile up to form one of the candle holders.

Crafted in a Roman workshop specialising in bronze work, the detailed pieces were first shown at The Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris last year, though the small tables are now on show for the first time.

The Brazilian Baroque collection will be on show at David Gill St James’s, 2-4 King Street, London, until 15 June.

The duo recently exhibited five beds including one surrounded by hairy curtains in Milan and a series of items for Louis Vuitton in Miami.

See more design by the Campana Brothers »
See more architecture and design exhibitions »

Read on for the full press release:

Campana Brothers to show new ‘Brazilian Baroque’ collection in first show at David Gill St James’s, 1 May – 15 June 2013

Bernini meets Brazil as David Gill Galleries prepares to host a major exhibition of works by the internationally renowned designers, the Campana Brothers. Entitled Brazilian Baroque, the exhibition opens at David Gill St James’s, 2-4 King Street, London SW1Y 6QP from 1 May to 15 June 2013.

This Brazilian Baroque collection takes its inspiration from the intensively decorative and sumptuous Baroque style of the 17th and 18th centuries, combined with the Campana Brothers’ own take on Brazilian art and culture. The collection includes new coffee tables, to be shown for the first time at David Gill Galleries, as well as a selection of works first shown at The Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris last autumn.

The Brazilian Baroque collection introduces a strongly theatrical, gothic and sensual element to the Campana Brothers’ distinctive style. The pieces on show revel in a sense of luxury, channelling the glories of the Rococo period and its sumptuous gold and bronze decoration.

Each piece is made by craftsmen in a Roman workshop, specialising in bronze work, demonstrating magnificent skill in welding together a jumble of decorative motifs – keys, leaves, cupids and crocodiles – to create organic and playful shapes which are combined with other materials. The Campana Brothers’ fascination with the natural world and their sense of humour can be clearly seen, for example, in the tiny, detailed crocodiles, which can be seen clambering up the stem of the Candelabro Coccodrilli

David Gill says: ‘The work of the Campana Brothers never fails to surprise us. Their choice of material, research and use of found and created objects makes their work new and contemporary.’

Using the purest traditions of craft techniques, the Brazilian Baroque limited edition series is a personal allegory celebrating the riches of the Campana Brothers’ style.

This exhibition of Brazilian Baroque by the Campana Brothers will be on show at David Gill St James’s, 2-4 King Street, London SW1Y 6QP until 15 June.

The post Brazilian Baroque by the
Campana Brothers appeared first on Dezeen.

Design Miami: a hanging cabinet covered in leather tassels and a hammock inspired by pasta ribbons are among the objects created by designers including Fernando and Humberto Campana and Atelier Oï for French fashion house Louis Vuitton (+ slideshow).

Above: Maracatu hanging travel cabinet by the Campana Brothers

The designers were asked to come up with portable objects inspired by Louis Vuitton’s signature luggage and travel accessories. Fernando and Humberto Campana created a hanging travel cabinet made from leather offcuts from Louis Vuitton’s workshops.

“Each one is different,” Fernando Campana told Dezeen at the launch in Miami. “We named them after the fruits of Brazil – each one has the name of a fruit, because the first idea was that it would be like a fruit hanging from a tree.”

“The name Maracatu comes from a dance, a ritual dance from Brazil,” added Humberto Campana. “They use wigs and clothes with stripes of cloth, and they twist to make this movement.” Inside the travel cabinet are shelves and a light, and it also comes in a more minimal brown leather version without the swinging tassels.

Above: hammock by Atelier Oï

Swiss design trio Atelier Oï used long strips of leather and gold rivets to create a hammock inspired by the pinched shape of pasta ribbons.

“When you are playing with the material you find these references, and you find also the solution,” designer Patrick Reymond told Dezeen. “We saw that it was interesting to squeeze the leather to create the three-dimensional structure, and to create the comfort and the volume of the object.”

Above: stool by Atelier Oï

They also created a folding stool with a thin sheet of aluminium between its leather exterior, allowing it to be packed flat and opened out into a sturdy seat.

“Just with a cut we can create a channel, so we don’t have any added elements,” said Reymond, explaining that it was inspired by the origami shapes of a Hussein Chalayan skirt. “You can fold it and go to the third dimension in one movement,” added designer Aurel Aebi.

Above: case for stool by Atelier Oï

Another item in the collection is a glass bell lamp by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, which is held in a leather carry case.

Above: lamp by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

The lamp is solar-powered but can also be charged via a discreet USB port at its base.

Above: table by Christian Liaigre

French designer Christian Liaigre produced a portable travel desk in sycamore wood, leather and aluminium, which folds up into a small briefcase form.

Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola created a stool that unfurls from a handbag, inspired by Louis Vuitton’s Monogram flower pattern, while Japanese studio Nendo contributed a lamp made from a curled piece of perforated leather and backlit by LED bulbs.

The collection launched at Louis Vuitton in Miami’s Design District during Design Miami this week, and will be available from the New Bond Street branch in London this month.

Other projects at Design Miami we’ve featured so far this week include an Eiffel Tower-shaped lamp by Studio Job and Glithero’s photosensitive ceramic vases. Look out for more news from Miami on Dezeen in the coming days, and check out our photos from the event on Facebook.

See all our stories about Design Miami »
See all our stories about Louis Vuitton »

Here’s some more information from Louis Vuitton:

Objets Nomades

Louis Vuitton announces Objets Nomades, a limited edition collection of foldable furniture and travel accessories produced in collaboration with leading international designers. These contemporary pieces will be exhibited and available in the New Bond Street Maison in December 2012. The rest of the collection will debut at Art Basel/Design Miami also in December.

Encapsulating the spirit of travel synonymous with Louis Vuitton, the travel desk, stool, hammock and lamp are all made using beautiful nomade leather and have portability at the core of their design. The pieces reference Louis Vuitton and his son Georges’ original bespoke travel commissions from the 19th Century, such as a trunk replete with a folding horsehair mattress for a trip to the Congo, or a trunk with a pull-out desk and a typewriter station. This bespoke service has been reinterpreted for the 21st Century to create a selection of collectible design items that are both beautiful in their form yet also functional in their design.

To create the collection Louis Vuitton has tapped into a pool of design talent. Founded in 1991 in Switzerland by the Neuveville trio Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis and Patrick Reymond, Atelier Oï is an international player in architecture, design and set design. Inspired by the expertise behind Louis Vuitton’s canvas trunk, they have conceived the simple yet spectacular hammock, with its sophisticated ribbons of leather and rivets gilded with fine gold.

The folding stool, also by Atelier Oi, makes use of Louis Vuitton’s leather savoir faire, drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of origami whilst embodying all the label’s values of simplicity, elegance and functionality. A special membrane works as a hinge for the leather panels, allowing the stool to be unfolded into a seat in one single movement once unbuckled from the carry strap.

After graduating from the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Christian Liaigre became an artistic director then an interior designer. Since 1981 he has been designing collections of simple furniture with clean lines. Inspired by nature, the portable travel desk in sycamore wood, leather and aluminium was originally created for Louis Vuitton in 1990 after a chance encounter with a Tanzania based Brit who dreamed of a desk to observe his captive-bred lion cubs that could ‘be folded up in the back of a Jeep’. It is being reissued in 2012 as part of this limited collection.

Internationally acclaimed designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby founded their studio in 1996 after graduating with Master’s degrees in Architecture from The Royal College of Art in London. Most recently being responsible for the design for the Olympic torch, their work is held in permanent collections around the world including the V&A Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Design Museum, London. Their beautiful glass bell lamp for the collection exhibits simple lines and shape, and when encased in the nomade leather carry case demonstrates how design can celebrate the traditional in a modern way.

The post Objets Nomades
for Louis Vuitton appeared first on Dezeen.

Brazilian designers Humberto and Fernando Campana have completed their first hotel interior.

Architecture graduates from the University of Thessaly assisted the brothers with the refurbishment of the 79-room hotel in Athens, now known as New Hotel, for the Yes! Hotels chain.

Walls in the reception and restaurant are covered in a jumble of wooden scraps like those used for the designer’s famous Favela Chairs, which can be found in some of the bedrooms.

Bedrooms also feature wall-mounted fairy-tale characters and glass eyeballs, which symbolise elements of Greek mythology and superstition.

Bathrooms contain faceted brass washbasins designed to look like fragmented rocks.

A 1940s marble staircase is retained and surrounding walls are lined with tree bark that has been processed into wallpaper.

Other interiors by the Campana brothers include a bank lounge resembling an Amazonian communal dwelling – see all our stories and movies about the Campanas here.

Here are some more details from Yes! Hotels:

‘New Hotel’, Athens opens – First hotel venture by design duo The Campanas

‘New Hotel’ opened in Athens on 1st July, a member of the Yes! Hotels group. ‘New Hotel’ is the first hotel venture by award winning Brazilian designers The Campanas and the Design Hotel features striking interiors, quirky bespoke furniture and handmade fixtures throughout.

The 79 room hotel is located on Filellinon Street, next to Constitution Square (Syntagma Square) and within walking distance of the main sights – the Roman ruins of Plaka, the Acropolis and its new museum, the stylish cafe and boutique shopping district of Kolonaki, and the business zone.

New Hotel houses ‘New Taste’ Mediterranean restaurant and a fitness area and massage rooms.

Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana led the design of the luxury hotel, in collaboration with 20 local archiecture undergraduates from the University of Thessaly. In line with the design duo’s love of restoring, recycling and sharing, the team created unusual and stylish chairs, plates and side lamps by hand.

Working with the students for an insight into local culture, the Campanas focussed on three traditional Greek themes. The first pays homage to Karagiozis, a mischievous folklore shadow puppet, with golden fairytale characters adorning the walls. The second theme embraces the ‘evil eye’ – a bead charm used to guard against ill omen, with handmade glass eyes illuminated for an arresting effect. Finally, the third uses a wall collage of historic postcards to offer a glimpse of old Athens through a very modern design twist.

The bedrooms feature floor to ceiling windows, solid bamboo floors and tables, while the bathrooms showcase striking solid brass washbasins in the shape of fragmented rocks with Kiehls and Clarins products.

Corridors are covered in bark cloth from Uganda, a natural wallpaper produced by processing bark from the Moraceae tree.

The hotel was formerly the Olympic Palace Hotel and while strikingly modern in design today, original features have been retained, including the 1940s black marble staircase.

Located on the ground floor, ‘New Taste’ restaurant is inspired by the Campana’s iconic Favela chair, with columns covered in long narrow strips of wood, reminiscent of the favelas in Brazil.

See also:

.

Peneira by the Campara Brothers	Blow Up-Bamboo by Campana Brothers	Grinza by the Campana brothers for Edra

Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana have designed a set of stainless steel mesh baskets for Italian design brand Alessi. (more…)