2009.9, Campana brothers, "Banquete chair with Pandas," designed 2006

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This conglomeration of stuffed panda bears, part of the Campana brothers’ series of furniture made from plush children’s toys, represents the most recent development of a type of chair conceived in 2003 as a realization of the designers’ interest in recycling mundane objects through both handicraft and, occasionally, modern technology. Unlike earlier examples of the Banquete, often formed with differing types of stuffed animals, the repetition of the clustered panda bears creates visual continuity in their two-tone palette, but unsettles in challenging the viewer to decide where one toy ends and the next begins. With all of the chairs in this series, the playful imagery and soft cushion of toys provides a nostalgic return to a childlike state as the sitter is literally nestled within a cluster of fuzzy bodies. As with many other contemporary designs, particularly those from the Droog collective, the Campanas’ works exhibit a biting sense of humor merged with underlying commentaries on consumerism, regionalism, environmentalism, and their own profession as designers. While their works embrace sculptural qualities, the brothers insist upon function, noting the works are “about sitting. It’s design, not sculpture.”

Adapted from

Kevin Tucker, DMA unpublished material [2009.9], 2009.

NOTES:

DMA unpublished material = Kevin Tucker, DMA acquisition justification, 2009.9, 2009

for some reason the hyperlink to the youtube video below keeps disappearing, I've re-added it several times, not sure what the deal is. Here it is again, just in case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1ZVyq-kTwc

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Campana brothers, Fernando (Brazilian, b. 1961) and Humberto (Brazilian, b. 1953)

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

Readymades

Chair

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

Until 2009: Moss, New York [1]

From 2009: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from Moss, New York

[1] See Moss invoice (dated April 6, 2009, copy in Collections Records Object File 2009.9)

AUDIO ASSETS

267026258: UMO. Listen to a gallery talk in Form/Unformed given by Heather Bowling, Digitial Content Coordinator for Decorative Arts and Design.

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

Youtube~Watch a video discussing the Campana brothers' plush toy chairs.
Design Museum~See other examples of Campana chairs.

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 2009.9

General Description

This conglomeration of stuffed panda bears, part of the Campana brothers’ series of furniture made from plush children’s toys, represents the most recent development of a type of chair conceived in 2003 as a realization of the designers’ interest in recycling mundane objects through both handicraft and, occasionally, modern technology. Unlike earlier examples of the Banquete, often formed with differing types of stuffed animals, the repetition of the clustered panda bears creates visual continuity in their two-tone palette, but unsettles in challenging the viewer to decide where one toy ends and the next begins. With all of the chairs in this series, the playful imagery and soft cushion of toys provides a nostalgic return to a childlike state as the sitter is literally nestled within a cluster of fuzzy bodies. As with many other contemporary designs, particularly those from the Droog collective, the Campanas’ works exhibit a biting sense of humor merged with underlying commentaries on consumerism, regionalism, environmentalism, and their own profession as designers. While their works embrace sculptural qualities, the brothers insist upon function, noting the works are “about sitting. It’s design, not sculpture.”