Fernando Campana (1961 - 2022)
Fernando Campana in his studio, a former bus garage in São Paulo’s Santa Cecília neighbourhood, photographed for Disegno #19 (image: André Penteado).
Disegno is saddened to learn of the death of Fernando Campana, co-founder of Estudio Campana, who has died at the age of 61.
The Brazilian designer co-founded Estudio Campana with his older brother, Humberto, in 1984, the same year that he graduated from a degree in Architecture and Urbanism at the Faculty of Fine Arts in São Paulo.
As a pair, the Campanas made their name creating furniture from eclectic materials gathered from São Paulo, creating bespoke pieces that were prized for their dramatic forms, wit, and thought-provoking, craft-inflected construction.
The Campanas rose to wider international attention with their breakthrough exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Project 66 (1998), in which their designs were shown alongside pieces by German lighting designer Ingo Maurer.
“Campana’s work unites industrial techniques and materials with the traditional craftsmanship that Brazil is famous for.”
“Fernando and Humberto Campana’s work unites industrial techniques and materials with the traditional craftsmanship that Brazil is famous for,” wrote the show’s curator Paola Antonelli. “The Campanas use a low-tech approach to design, and they employ materials that are readily available, inexpensive, and manageable.”
“It is with great sadness that we communicate the death of Fernando Campana, today, November 16, in São Paulo,” the studio said in an Instagram post. “We appreciate everyone’s solidarity and ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
Disegno spoke to Fernando Campana for the Lockdown Paper, which documented the experiences and emotions of designers living through the early days of the pandemic in 2020. His diary is reproduced below.
Campana in São Paulo in 2018 (image: André Penteado).
Fernando Campana
Since the quarantine began, I’ve been 3,000km away from São Paulo in the coastal city of Fortaleza, northeast Brazil. I’ve been spending time with my older brother José Alberto and his family, occupying myself by sketching, making collages and taking walks on the beach. I used to collect the debris left behind by beachgoers, but there seems to be little to clean these days: wildlife is reclaiming its spaces. When I can, I’ve been visiting the city by car to appreciate the deserted architecture, which has made me think that future construction projects may be more conscious and less invasive in their use of natural resources. I miss my house, but I also feel lucky for having had the time to explore my surroundings and the beautiful nature of Fortaleza.