Humberto Piva Campana 71 years old, is from Brotas, in the interior of São Paulo. Before becoming a famous designer around the world, with iconic creations, such as armchair with teddy bears or the Red Chair and win several international awards, he was the brother of Fernando, who died in November 2022, and with whom he built his career — and the dream of Campana Park .
After traveling the world and Brazil, he and his brother created the idea for the park — which has 12 pavilions, with eight built so far — during the pandemic. In addition to offering the public contact with nature and animals, it is there, in Brotas, where Humberto revisits his childhood memories.
“Returning to my city was like making peace with my childhood,” Humberto Campana told CNN Travel & Gastronomy .
The park is located between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest where Fernando built a house for himself, and also where Humberto accompanied his brother.
The idea of the project, according to him, was to preserve the inherited piece of land, in addition to increasing the environmental awareness of Brotas residents.
The first seed that the brothers planted for the beginning of Parque Campana was a star observation tower . “We used to go every end of the day to see the birds arriving”, he recalls. The building has three floors and is 12 meters high, which reinforces contact with nature.
“There, you had different levels of observation of the forest, the light, the birds, the stars, and it was a sacred place “, account.
With Fernando’s death, Humberto transformed the observation tower into a altar for brother .
“I made a stone path, and the tower is a little far from the area where the park pavilions are. I created an altar with Saints from the Catholic Church, from Candomblé. I believe in good energy. It’s a shrine to him, a tribute from me to him.”
What are the pavilions like?
Inspired by family origins in Tuscany, Italy, eight of the twelve pavilions have already been built. There, Humberto created a place for contemplation of silence, as well as an invitation for the public to smell “the odor, the perfume of the plants and the smell of the soil”.
One of the pavilions, according to Humberto, has sand, where visitors can walk barefoot. Another, in turn, has a small lake to cool your feet. “It’s an invitation to heal yourself,” he says.
With monitors prepared to guide the public, the surroundings of the space are home to many animal species . “Every now and then I see monkeys, crabs, toucans”, he continues.
The investment for the project, which will have a restaurant, workshop, guided tours and even a museum with a collection of the Campana Brothers’ creations, came from Humberto’s pocket. At the moment, he looking for investors to finish the park .
Why a park in Brotas?
The construction of the space in Brotas is as if it were a return to the roots, to the ancestor and to a search for healing of the soul . After all, the designer’s childhood was marked by a feeling of rejection within his community.
“When you are born an artist, you are often mistaken for a fragile being. I didn’t like football, but I liked other things: I liked planting, manual work and that was seen as weird.”
Today, he feels grateful to Brotas because, otherwise, he would not have become who he is — and part of that is due to the partnership with his brother. Despite starting the Campana Park plan together, Humberto had to continue the work alone after the Fernando’s sudden death .
As incredible as it may seem, he says, he had more strength to carry on after the loss, which completed two years in November last year. “I think I had more determination not to succumb to his loss”, comments Humberto.
You Visiting days at Campana Park They take place on the last Friday and Saturday of each month. Tickets cost up to R$50 and it is necessary to book in advance. In January, tours take place on the weekend of the 10th and 11th and the 24th and 25th. In February, the 7th and 8th; and 21 and 22.
Campana Park: Estrada Municipal Edson Valente, s/n – Zona Rural, Brotas–SP, 17380-000 / Visiting hours: last Friday and Saturday of each month; Fridays, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm; Saturdays, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm.
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Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
