The technique consists of illuminating a mosaic of glass, thereby creating individual 'object of light'. Born in Polignano a Mare, a beautiful seaside town located in the South of Italy, Peppino Campanella transferred to Florence in 1988, at 20 years of age, to complete and receive the laureate in Architecture. During his studies, he became enthralled with photography and was able to collaborate w
ith Andreas Bossi, the esteemed photographer of fashion in Florence. After completing the laureate, Peppino Campanella returned to his native town, in which he currently lives and works, to work in multiple directions including photography, architecture, art, and design. Campanella's attraction to the sea, the countryside, and to the forms found in nature in general, was greatly augmented after studying the work of Pino Pascali (the illustrious Italian Pop Art Artist from the same seaside town who died prematurely in 1969). A collectionist of stones retrieved and manipulated by farmers and sailors, and a huge advocate for the usage of recycled materials, the idea of "bringing light to rock" began to coalesce in the mind of Peppino Campanella. His destiny was discovered by accident: his friend, the poet Guido Lupori, asked him to make a lamp. And so it commenced , somewhat as a joke, and thanks to his innate curiosity, Peppino Campanella began to assemble rocks, glass, and shells from the earth and from the sea to create and to participate in exibitions. The first expositions were more experimental in form and element and used low cost materials, which allowed him to begin to illuminate various objects. The initial results of this experimentation were utilized in the theatre. "Teatro delle Vigne" in Genova, "Rosso Tiziano" in Naples, and "Ariele" in Bari all used the lamps of Peppino Campanella. In 1991, Peppino Campanella abandoned architecture and transferred to an old olive oil warehouse on the seaside and began to create his objects of stone, glass, and lead and tin. The development of his operation, suspended between art and design, began as an Arabic inspired excessivism and has progressed into a minimalism of luminescence of the elements. Glass, "solid water" in eyes of Peppino Campanella, is the lead character in Campanella's creation because of his capacity to transmit the extraordinary light effects. The purpose of his object is not illuminate, but rather to create atmosphere, evoke the sea, the sky, sunrise, sunset, and to astonish the viewer. Always far from the the standard approach to the artistic market and with or without the blessing of art critics, Peppino's extraordinary success is derived from his passionate approach to his work and his tireless self promotion. Because of this, his lamps can be found throughout the world in many exclusive expositions. The lamps have also been featured in various Italian films including, "Quello che le ragazze non dicono" by Carlo Vanzina, "Faccia di Picasso" by Massimo Ceccherini, "Sangue vivo" by Edoardo Winspeare, "Denti" by Gabriele Salvatores, and "La Febbre" by his friend, director Alessandro D'Alatri.
