Designersblock in Clerkenwell provided a UK debut for the new Bolle lamp, by the Anglo-Italian design team Giopato&Coombes. The piece is inspired by the lightness of soap bubbles as a metaphor for the emptiness of light, made from hand blown glass.

Cristiana Giopato recounts the moment of inspiration: “For few seconds, in front of us, we were surrounded by hundreds of soap bubbles. It was a magical moment with their formal simplicity it was beautiful and immediate: we wanted to crystallize this moment, when the bubbles grow until they touch each other, just before exploding! So this was the beginning. For us the lightness of the soap bubbles has become a metaphor for the immateriality of light.”

Bolle is a suspension lamp in transparent glass, where the illuminating brass bulb is suspending between the spheres, giving light to not only the space but also the curved surfaces, multiplying reflections to amplify the magical effect.

Following their positive experience working with the master glassmakers of Murano while producing their i Flauti lamps, the architect and designer team wanted to continue their research with glass. For the Bolle project that have used a different technique known as ‘a lume’. This method, even if hand-blown, has a higher level of precision allowing the possibility to assemble the spheres. A

The Bolle lamp is available in two sizes, one with four and one with six spheres. The two can be combined to form endless compositions.
In contrast to the intangible and magical appearance of the glass, the central brass body maintains a sense of function rigour. The meticulous design development has simplified the body into a simple cylinder, whose internal components are stacked and self-locking, without the need for screws. The double-sided Led bulb, designed and produced for this lamp, allows for downward and upward lighting. The rigorous design has maintained a formal minimalism with an intentional illumination, that emphasises the characteristics of glass.

www.giopatocoombes.com