Humberto Campana on working with Lasvit
What do you get when you bring together the vibrant creative minds of Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana and the artisanal hands of Czech lighting designers Lasvit, renowned for their ethereal crystalline chandeliers? We sat down with one half of the dynamic duo Humberto Campana to find out.
After visiting the Lasvit factory, the Campana Brothers soon conceived the Candy Collection as an extension of their own “Sushi” series – a tribute to the tradition and methods of upholstery. The Candy Collection, which includes the Sphere chandelier, the Ring chandelier and the Lollipop table lamp, was inspired by the colourful candies sold in Brazilian markets. The affable 63-year-old designer explained the process: “When Lasvit invited us to make the collection, we wanted to bring to the glass universe part of our universe made in our studio which is the Sushi. We visited the factory – it was in the Czech countryside – it looks like a fairytale. They looked like they were making candy; the melting glass looked like caramel. (What they have done so far) is very clear, so we tried to go the opposite – the universe of colours.”
We were sitting under the Fungo chandelier – a singular, striking piece comprising of rigid wood and irregular blown-glass. With a twinkle in his eye, Campana confessed that it was his first time setting eyes on the chandelier since it’s inception. Surprised but pleased with how large it turned out, he revealed that its creation was pure happenstance. On his second visit to the Lasvit factory, he had gone down to the humid basement where the ancient wooden glass-blowing moulds were stored. The odd shaped fungus he noticed growing on them sparked his imagination, and 30 minutes before flying back to Brazil, he convinced the art director to challenge his artisan’s glass-making techniques into making the amorphous shapes that seemed to bloom organically out of the chandelier’s wooden frame.
Growing up with a father who was an agricultural engineer, it’s not surprising Campana has such an affinity for nature. He’s hoping to bring more green to Brazil. “Sao Paulo has a lot of graffiti and graffiti is too “aggressive” – visual pollution – why not have “green guerillas”, a new movement to cover the city with plants? We have some projects for parks in Brazil. A small farm in the countryside. I would love to transform that farm to give away to the city in the future.”
