Parasols

Parasols (Parasol: 2,82, 2,50 x h 2,51 m; platform: diam. 6m)
by FERNANDO E HUMBERTO CAMPANA
with ALCANTARA® and DEDON
lighting by iGuzzini

Concept
Parasol is a light structure thought as a portable shelter for tropical zones. It doesn’t come from a casual inspiration, but from revisiting the traditional communal dwelling of the Brazilian Indians, the Oca. “It is the primitive equivalent of a cathedral, where the spiritual element blends with the elements of nature. By breaking the Oca structure, we created individual shelters”. “The Campanas experiment with all the poor materials you can find in bidonvilles, materials that have never been used to manufacture furniture, such as rope, iron wire, PVC thread used to create complicated weavings, metal sheet, bubble wrap, cardboard and they give dignity to these creations through their patient manual work. Since their eyes are trained to see beyond codified appearance, they try all the possible transfers, resuscitating commonly used materials for unlikely and poetic purposes ……”. “……… Their projects are epic stories, since they concern the art of survival, because they witness a resurrection, the resurrection of things destined to be thrown away that are born to a new and dignified life with inventiveness and with the work of hands.” (Cristina Morozzi, Campanas, Bookmark, San Paolo, 2003)

Project
A structure of welded structural steel. High-density polyethylene woven fibre roofing by Dedon. Ipé-Lapacho decking wood platform supplied by Listone Giordano. This wood, processed with a special finish for outdoors, has expressly been selected for this installation.

Alcantara®
Created in 1972 as a result of an absolute technological breakthrough, Alcantara® is manufactured in Nera Montoro (Terni) in the heart of the Umbria region and is a reason of pride for Italian industry. The constant commitment to prevent and minimize its impact on the surrounding environment plays a fundamental role for Alcantara®. The environmental commitment combined with the ever lively dialogue with the creative effervescence of contemporary design explain why the company takes an active part in the project by the Campana brothers. Through their installation they offer an extraordinary interpretation of different textures of Alcantara®, a material that – with its exclusive sensorial, aesthetical and functional qualities – can cover and embellish any surface.

Dedon
The three sunshades designed by the Campana brothers have been manufactured by Dedon following the designers’ concept to the smallest detail. The structures of welded structural steel make this object lighter and therefore easy to transport. The high-density polyethylene fibre by Dedon, coming in a natural Bleach shade, which is masterfully woven to cover the structure, can last forever and can withstand extreme environmental and atmospheric conditions, even under the hottest sun. The colour shade perfectly reproduces the natural fibres, with its shadows, thus respecting the aesthetics of the revisited Oca dwelling, fragmented by the Campana brothers. The three elements created using Dedon materials have a modern and more urban approach, thus successfully giving life to the designers’ concept.