Champagne Action
Founder and Creative Director of Articolo, Nicci Green, caught up with darc Editor Sarah Cullen to give more of an insight into the creation of the Fizi collection and its inspirations.
Exemplifying the truly individual nature of mouth-blown glass, the Fizi Collection, by Australian lighting design studio Articolo, represents the effervescence of light.
Explored across a range of forms – from wall sconce to table lamp and pendant – Fizi is the purest expression of the art of light to emerge from Articolo’s workshop.
“The Fizi collection is a mesmerising explosion of bubbles in champagne-esque effervescence. The design was inspired by a collection of my late grandmother's paperweights that she gifted me when I was a child,” explains Articolo's Founder and Creative Director, Nicci Green. “I love the artisanal nature and nuances of mouth-blown glass and solid metals. The Fizi collection encapsulates this wonder, but it’s also incredibly technical to achieve. Working with our artisan glassblowers to perfect the desired finish has been a long journey with much trial and error. I can’t reveal the exact methodology as that’s something very close to our hearts, however what I can say is no two Fizi balls are ever the same and every piece is made by artisans’ hands and to order.”
Reminiscent of the glass paperweights, the made-to-order Fizi collection comes in both glass spherical orbs and as flattened oblongs of glass, each with a core of champagne-toned bubbled glass. The wall sconces, pendants and table lamps are completed with varying available finishes in brass, polished nickel, bronze, black electroplate and natural stones.
“The unpredictable nature and intricacies of mouth-blown glass means the organic shape of each piece within the Fizi Collection is completely one-of-a-kind,” adds Green. “This beautiful reality means each piece is genuinely unique, casting a shadow on the world as unique as its owner. A bespoke light artwork in itself.”
Suitable for abundant applications across residential and commercial settings, the Fizi collection’s unique bubble detail creates breathtaking shadow play when illuminated, creating an art form from within itself, like a piece of wall or ceiling jewellery.
“The Fizi Ball is one of our Articolo signature collections. The Fizi bubble detailing is impossible to replicate, it represents true light art, or as we know it, ‘art of light’. The design is representative of our commitment to artisanal craft and mouthblown glass,” says Green. “I love shadow play, how ambience is achieved and controlled in the contrast of light and dark.”
Duncan Meerding
What is the concept and inspiration behind the Propeller Blossom? The initial idea came about when I was experimenting with plywood and the grain of the plywood determined which way the petals twisted/bent. I was attempting to create a different form.The final product effectively meshes propeller and floral like forms together and makes a unique flat-pack light.
How long have you been working on the product for? The initial propeller pendant form came about back in 2011 when experimenting with plywood. Throughout 2012 I tried to push this initial form into a fully-fledged, flat-pack lighting product. I hit a range of challenges along the way and had to walk away for a bit. In 2015 I made a bit of a breakthrough in terms of the original design’s manufacturing, creating a fully-fledged lighting product. After showcasing this light at a number of events I wanted to create a new version that was up-scalable in size. After a bit of experimentation in 2019 we managed to create the Propeller Blossom.
What was the most challenging aspect of producing this product? Whilst the Blossom is a follow on from the original Propeller, it was not just a simple up-scale tool that had to be hit in a computer aided drawing programme. In 2017 we developed the Propeller Bloom, which was a big floor installation. From this I realised that using our current production methods, we could not make anything quite as big as the Bloom to hang safely and rigidly, but had to meet somewhere in the middle. There were definitely some challenges creating such a light with only a single fixing point on each blade/petal whilst maintaining such an open, 3D form. This light truly pushed some of the limits in terms of materials and rigidity and this was proven during the prototyping in 2019.
What materials have been used? Can you describe the design process? The materials used are Tasmanian Eucalyptus, powder coated aluminium, Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia) and various lighting components.The design process involved a lot of experimentation with the lightweight veneer and various glues to laminate the items in their custom form. The design and making processes often go hand in hand for me, and working out design by experimentation in making is especially important to have an understanding of the rigidity of the different materials and how light performs in the form in the real world.
What technologies does the product use? The technology focuses upon how light performs through and around 3D objects. We utilise Edison screw fixtures for this item, allowing for versatility for the end user. Each item is hand-made in our workshop and coupled with this we also use some computer controlled machines such as laser cutters.
Describe the Propeller Blossom in three words? Calming, nature-inspired, hand-made.
What makes this light different to other lighting products available? It’s a bit of fun executed in a pared-down simple way that we hope still appeals to a wide audience.
What kind of environments / clients is the Propeller Blossom suitable for? This item is intended for larger spaces, be it larger commercial foyers/entry ways or stairwells in larger domestic homes. The item has a lot of presence as shown by the photo in our studio workshop. Blossom is 85cm cubed (approximately).
What makes this product different to other lighting products available on the market? These lights have been designed from an alternative sensory experience. The light effect from this design is relaxing and organic, quite similar to the dappled light effect found underneath a forest canopy. As I am legally blind with less than 5% vision concentrated around the periphery, I am hyper aware of light moving through a space, and I believe my unique sensory experience can help enhance everyone’s experience in a space.
Another large plus for this feature light, is that the item is relatively light and compact when in transit and quite easy to assemble at the other end.
New brand Leverint Lighting launches in London
(UK) - London-based Leverint Lighting opens in May 2021.
Launching an innovative portfolio of new products aimed at prestige homes, hotels, and blue-chip businesses, Leverint Lighting is co-founded by Andrew Print, John Leveridge and Lee Rowland who all offer an exciting skill set combination with more than 50 years experience in lighting design and glass artistry.
Based in Enfield, London, its creations deliver a fusion of the timeless elegance of classic glass blowing with innovative modern styling that sets the range apart.
With its own UK-based production studios, the team creates sophisticated hand-blown glass arrangements to precise personal specifications. It then complements the specialised lighting pieces with the finest components, hand-crafting them in-house for the highest standards of quality.
Chief designer Andrew Print says: “We are proud to offer limited-edition and bespoke designs - specialising in exclusive lighting pieces, which enhance the beauty of both personal and commercial living and working environments.
“We will not only be offering a collection of high-quality lights but also a unique bespoke design service - working with customers every step of the way, sharing ideas and concepts and turning their vision into eye-catching and illuminating interior design features.”
Slamp - LaFleur Velvet
LaFleur Velvet reinforces Slamp's commitment to protecting biodiversity.
The new black matte base has an integrated magnet, and an accompanying disc that anchors the lamp under textiles for a floral mise-en-place, or that can be screwed into vertical surfaces, turning Lafleur into a whimsical appliqué.
Designer Marc Sadler describes the creative process that led him to shape Slamp’s technopolymers, bringing the battery-powered Lafleur table lamp to light. This undulating bloom is made of Lentiflex, which is hand-moulded at a controlled temperature into a unique blossom imitating those found in nature.
In 2019, Slamp called on a specialised group to transform extra lamp cuttings into portable hives for bumblebees, and for World Bee Day on May 20, 2020, in honour of its commitment to sustaining biodiversity, every client who purchases Lafleur on shop.slamp.com, from May 20 to June 22 received a jar of organic honey.
[d]arc awards winner: Michael Anastassiades for Flos
(UK) - Michael Anastassiades' design Coordinates takes first place at the [d]arc awards 2020.
Featured alongside other winning products and projects on [d]arc media's vimeo, Michael Anastassiades sits down with [d]arc media's Managing Director Paul James to accept the [d]arc award for best in the Kit: Decorative category, and give a little more insight into Coordinates' inspirations.
Adorno - Sluren
Adorno's collection 1 + 1 = 3, was created in collaboration with Southern Sweden Design Days. Organised by Form/Design Center, the annual event held in Malmö, Sweden, highlights sustainability, collaboration, development, and innovation in design. 2021's inaugural theme “encourages collaborations and cross-fertilisation with the aim of highlighting the region’s openness and locality”.
The Sluren glass lamp, exhibited at Milan Design Week, was originally commissioned by the Swedish Institute in Paris. It is mouth-blown and produced in a limited edition. Each year has a new colour, and the colour for 2021 is clear transparent glass.
Marset - Ihana
Marset's Ihana ceiling light was designed in collaboration with architect Joanna Laajisto.
The serene shapes of the Ihana trace out a silhouette of light. This lighting system consists of several opal blown glass diffusers that are pleasing to the eye, appear ductile and contrast with the firmness of the metal structure that determines its shape and fastens it to the ceiling.
In an effort to offer ambient light for any classic or contemporary interior design project, this collection can be used to create light compositions. This is made possible by its structure, which can be extended to include 14 diffusers, connected to a single point of light. It is also available in different sizes to illuminate spaces with high ceilings. In addition, the Ihana features dim to warm technology, which allows not only regulating the intensity of the light, but also its colour temperature, which can vary from a warm white (3000K) to an ultra warm white, simulating candle light (1800K).
Often, a design is born of necessity. Ihana, which means "exquisite" in Finnish, is one of them. Its creator, the architect Joanna Laajisto, moved her studio to a 19th century building in Helsinki and couldn't find any lamps that fit in with her new office. In search of the beauty of light, she created a sculptural lamp defined by its pure, almost graphic forms, and by the balance between rigidity and fragility. Ihana is a synthesis of contrasts that combines contrasting colours, the black metallic structure and white diffusers, and nuances of old and new. A contemporary and timeless design made by its creator to endure over time and become part of those stories in which no one remembers what year it was designed.
Martinelli Luce - Outdoor
Martinelli Luce's outdoor lighting collection uses cement as the common material.
A simple material but at the same time rich in important facets and characteristics, cement has become one of the most used elements for the new outdoor lamps by the Italian lighting company Martinelli Luce.
Weatherproof, solid, and robust, concrete lends itself to being the perfect material for creating outdoor lamps. To the touch, the surface remains slightly rough and highlights the materiality of cement adding a pleasant characteristic.
Amanita is the latest creation from the Tuscan lighting brand. An outdoor lamp that looks like a mushroom, like the name from which it takes its inspiration. The low and robust shape in reinforced concrete highlights its characteristics of resistance and compactness.
The diffuser positioned in the lower part of the hat is made of polycarbonate and houses the LED source.
Cyborg outdoor, the big sister of the indoor version, is made of high-resistance concrete with water-proofer and has a LED light source.
Pont is a luminous arch rising from the ground, a blade of light halfway between a technical device and a concrete sculpture. The LED light source provides direct illumination, creating paths and plays of light in the garden or at the side of a pathway.
Koala is a high-resistance concrete wall lamp with a double LED light source for direct and indirect lighting. A small wall lamp with soft, rounded shapes clings to the wall, imitating the usual pose in which the Australian animal is immortalised between the trees.
[d]arc room to exhibit at Design London
(UK) - UK-based lighting exhibition [d]arc room set to join Design London with a pop-up event this September.
Recognising London’s profound influence over Architecture and Design specification, [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London (previously 100% Design) is a new and enhanced event experience underpinned by the wealth of knowledge of both [d]arc media and Media 10, organisers of Design London.
In previous editions of 100% Design, the lighting contingent was sporadically positioned throughout the exhibition.
This year will see [d]arc room pop-up as an established lighting area within Design London giving lighting specifiers a destination within a destination.
In addition, [d]arc awards installations will be displayed at Design London for the duration of the event with a [d]arc night party on 23 September.
Featuring a highly curated selection of brands, [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London provides a unique in-person platform to meet with leading lighting designers, architects, interior designers, developers and retailers at what will be the must-attend event during London Design Festival and the first in-person lighting exhibition of the year in the UK.
New SLL President calls for increased representation
(UK) – Following her inauguration as Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) President, Dr. Ruth Kelly Waskett has called for an increased representation in the lighting industry.
In her Presidential Address, delivered during the SLL AGM and Awards on 20 May, Waskett declared that the Society must represent the diversity of the industry that it serves.
Echoing the comments of former SLL President Liz Peck during her address in 2015, in which she recognised that the strength of the Society lies in its diversity, Waskett hopes to build on this, saying: “I would like to honour my friend, by carrying forward her wish that the SLL should be truly representative of all who work with light and lighting.”
Waskett cited evidence from the 2019 Lighting Family Tree survey, carried out by Light Collective, which showed a near equal gender split between those who took part, compared to the current demographic of SLL members. She added: “Our membership is still overwhelmingly male. This does not reflect the lighting industry. So what are we going to do about it?
“I would like to use my SLL presidential platform to highlight to women throughout the industry that SLL membership could be for them too. This is not about getting more members; this is about ensuring that our make-up reflects the industry that we represent.”
Taking a lead from the Women in Lighting project, the Society will therefore work towards ensuring a 50/50 gender split between speakers at events as a means of improving representation and visibility amongst members.
Alongside this, the team behind the Women in Lighting project will be publishing a selection of interviews and videos from women within the SLL.
As well as improving inclusivity, diversity and representation for the Society, Waskett also highlighted the need for more conversations on the importance of daylight, as well as its responsibility in spreading the message about light and health.
The SLL was recently joined by contributors to the Second International Workshop on Circadian and Neurophysical Photometry for a webinar discussion focusing on recommendations and practical applications for healthy daytime, evening, and night-time light exposure. The response from attendees demonstrated a clear appetite for more information and guidance in this area. This was followed by a collaborative article from Waskett and Dr. Karolina Zielinska-Dabkowska in arc, in which they highlighted why the lighting industry needs to provide guidance so that people can make informed choices with light.
Waskett added that she would like to build off this, spreading the message beyond the lighting industry to those who need to hear it: “We have been talking amongst ourselves about this for long enough. Now we need to engage with the wider construction industry and the public.”
The SLL AGM, Awards and Presidential Address were held online on 20 May. Ruth Kelly Waskett took over the Presidency from Immediate Past-President Bob Bohannon, who held office from May 2020.
ILP CEO to stand down
(UK) – The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP), Tracey White is to stand down from her position later this year.
After three years in post, White is relocating abroad and will work on new projects from a distance.
Commenting on White’s decision, Anthony Smith, ILP President, said: “It was with reluctance but understanding I accepted Tracey’s resignation. Over the last three years she has delivered in all areas, working tirelessly to improve the standing of the Institution within the industry and government, alongside the day-to-day duties of the CEO role.
“The Executive Board and I wish Tracey well in the next, much sunnier chapter of her life and thank her for all the hard work, guidance and commitment to the Institution during her time at the helm. Tracey is working with the Executive Board in relation to finding a suitable replacement and is committed to ensuring a smooth transition.”
Tracey White replied: “It has been a privilege and honour to serve as CEO of the ILP. The last three years have been extremely successful for the ILP. We have continued to maintain and develop our services to members and represent their interests, in spite of the difficulties posed by the pandemic.
“I have been lucky enough to work with very talented colleagues on the Board and within the staff team and I have enjoyed working with skilled professionals across our sector. I have no doubt that the ILP is well-equipped to meet the future challenges of the lighting industry and I would like to wish the Board, the members and my future successor all the best.”
The ILP Board has agreed a process for recruiting Tracey White’s successor. Expressions of interest can be made to jobs@theilp.org.uk.
John Cullen Lighting celebrates 40th anniversary
(UK) – Lighting manufacturer John Cullen Lighting this year celebrates its 40th anniversary with a focus on miniaturisation and sustainability.
The brand, established by the late John Cullen in 1981 and now led by Creative Director Sally Storey, is recognised around the world for lighting design excellence with award-winning schemes and discreet architectural luminaires, and its ability to enhance the enjoyment of spaces through the power of light.
The impact and effect of light on space and design has been a core focus for the company since its foundation, as Storey explained: “John Cullen’s philosophy is to create the finest quality of light from the most discreet luminaires; in achieving this, the light source should always be concealed.”
The company also takes a great deal of inspiration from nature and natural light, with discreet fittings again being a key facet of this. “Lighting is the most versatile interior design tool that can entirely change the way a room looks and feels at the touch of a button,” Storey continued. “No other interior element can have such a strong impact. Architectural lighting should be as discreet as possible, to look effortless and make any space wonderful to be in.”
To mark its 40th anniversary, John Cullen Lighting is continuing to focus on discreet fixtures, with the development of two new miniature luminaires: the Minim joinery downlight, which is the same size as a UK five pence piece; and the Vorsa Dot, the smallest luminaire on the market.
Alongside a focus on innovation and technological advancement, the company is paying extra attention to its environmental impact and is currently working on a sustainability policy to be carbon neutral by 2030, driving towards luminaire design and manufacture for the circular economy.
