Brazilian designers the Campana Brothers will present a new furniture collection at Albion Gallery in London next month.

Called TransPlastic, the collection consists of plastic chairs and lights set within woven natural fibre.

The fibre used, Apuí, suffocates the trees in Brazilian forests and TransPlastic makes an analogy with this, as the woven fibre appears to be smothering the plastic furniture beneath.

The exhibition runs from 5 June to 17 August.

Photos are copyright Fernando Laszlo.

Below is a statement about the collection from Albion Gallery:

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THE CAMPANA BROTHERS TRANSPLASTIC
5 June – 17 August 2007
to be shown for the first time at ALBION, London

The TransPlastic series tells a fictional story: in a world made of plastic and synthetic matter, a fertile ground is laid for transgenic creations. Natural fibres recover the plastic as in an immunological response: nature grows from the plastic and overpowers it.

Regular chairs, multiple-seating chairs, lamps, illuminated meteors, clouds and islands have been created by taking advantage of the elasticity of natural fibre. Taking as a starting point plastic chairs, water containers and rudimentary wood stools, natural fibre extensions were added, altering the original form. The pieces subsequently took on a geographic dimension through organic shapes, adding value and comfort to the original base material.

All the pieces are handcrafted with a very typical Brazilian fibre, Apuí. The extraction of this fibre helps preserve and control the biodiversity of the forests as Apuí suffocates and kills the trees from which they grow. These fibres are removed manually, without any tools or processes that may harm the trees.

The fibre is an analogy for this series of work; the wicker begins to grow from the plastic, suffocating and drawing nourishment from it, reinforcing the original theses of the fictional story Fernando and Humberto have chosen to tell.

In the past, all the Brazilian terraces and semi-outdoor cafes were furnished with wicker pieces. Over time, these were gradually substituted for the more practical and long-lasting plastic ones. The Campana Brothers have chosen to play with this idea and bring back the old tradition of wicker furniture in a hybrid, playful manner.