Est-il encore besoin de présenter les frères Campana? Si oui, pour les néophytes disons qu'ils font partie des Top 5 designers mondiaux, que leur art basé sur la 'Récup' et l'utilisation de matières naturelles et organiques est la preuve absolue que Green et Bon Goût peuvent s'associer, ils sont aujourd'hui les ambassadeurs d' un certain 'art de vivre à la Brésilienne. Un art de vivre qu'ils ont décidé de partager avec les parisiens en créant une suite à leur image dans le plus rive gauche des palaces parisiens, le LUTETIA: Poussez la porte de la suite 408 et Bienvenue au Brésil!
Darkplanneur: First of all, how was the Lutetia suite project born ?
Fernando Campana: It’s a kind of a love story with the Lutetia. First, we didn’t stay here but I used to say to myself, one day I’ll stay in this hotel, when we were in the beginning of our career. Then we were permission by the Musée d’Orsay to make the “Café Campana” and they put us to stay here during the process of the construction. During three years we stayed here ! I discover that there were suite like David Lynch, Vik Muniz, and I said to myself – it’s a kind of telepathy. And Umberto said to me, « I want to have a suite here ». We didn’t contact them, they discover that we stayed here and the hotel came to us. And from that came the idea to make the Suite.The inspiration is more vegetal, is more kind of bringing elements from the jungle, from the zoo. We imagine that they are different kind of wood that emerge from the center (inside of) Paris.
Umberto Campana: We’ve created carpet that go through the wall like flower, flower belts… we bring the mushroom in Alessi lamp, and also for the Suite we have collaborated with companies such as « Denado », « Nordussi », « Vitra.... » for the collage – collages were handmade by Fernando !
D: So, before the Lutetia there was the Musée D’Orsay. Is there a kind of love story with Paris ?
FC: Yes ! We have been very well treated by the Parisian because we have now also an exhibition in the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs. It’s just opened, « Barocco Rococo ». We received also prize from Comité Colbert. So this year is plenty of Paris !
D:You are now ambassadors of the brasilian design with Oscar Niemeyer, How will you describe your style ?
UC: « Organicus »!!!! Something by hands and guts. It’s more a water design that goes everywere. Our aim was ti have a design that goes like the Amazon River, from everywere to make a big basin.
D: What is the ambition of your art ? What drives you ?
FC: Surviving and telling stories. It’s the source that drives the the human poetry. We’re making a portrait of our world, of our environement. Not only in Brazil. Umberto went to Rome to make his collection Baroque (like in the Art Déco). I think he detected a photograph process that is almost a process of disapearance of people than materials.
D:Your style is very attached with naturality. How do you judge the envirentalement policies of our governement ?
FC: Oh, it’s just nothing! What they are doing to the forest is a shame... I think they are not treating well the planet.
UC: Oh no, fortunately there are the Scandinavian as good example ! But in Brazil we need a lot of environmental education.
D: But, you are from Brazil. So, for me and the people in France you are really the ambassadors of the naturality spirit, of the green. Why aren’t you heard in your home country?
FC: The policy of the governement is to interfere. If we could more act, we would have done it. In Brasil, it’s both a social and economics problem to educate people to protect the nature or discovering process of doing that. There is a congress in Brazil called ‘Aloha’ to not cut the tree near the river. But the people who work with the agronomy and agriculture are very poor are so poor that they can afford to do this sacrifice!
D: 2014, 2016, and 2018 are going to be the years of Brazil because of the World Cup, the Olympics, etc... Do you think there's going to be rise of a new green policy?
FC:I hope they’ll wake up and they do something because all that we see is construction. Construction, construction, construction! People don't take time nowadays, they don't want to learn. When I was in public school, in the 60’s, before the military dictatory I used to learn french, english and portugese. Nowadays the education does less. I ask myself : « What the kids that going to be me in 30 years are going to say ? ». Are they going to be concern ?
D: Last question: What story did you want to tell in this Suite ?
FC + UC: Our childhood in the countryside with plenty of green, materials, human nature, nature, elements of the forest, like to be in the wood. If you stay in our Suite, it’s a rebirth, a reconnexion with the elements, we wanted to experience: Simplicty, Naturality Warmness… that’s what our Suite is about!
D:What is your process of creation ? How do you create ? Because Karl Lagerfeld once said, “Creation is a very lonesome process”. How do you do?
FC: For us it’s an instinctive and collective process! We walk in the street and we are kind of domesticate to look at the same thing. We are not twins, we have 8 years of difference. We educate ourself to look at the same pieces. This is more than brotherhood, more than partnership : this is friendship. It’s brotherhood and friendship but without sex ! (laughes..)
