OK by Konstantin Grcic for Flos
(UK) – OK, designed by industrial designer Konstantin Grcic for Flos UK, pays homage to Achille Castiglioni’s Parentesi lamp, originally launched in 1972. Grcic unites technological experimentation with design sensitivity 40 years on.
“Designing a lamp is no longer limited to working around a given bulb,” said Grcic. “Today, it means designing the actual bulb or light source. This challenged me to think of Parentesi, a lamp that celebrated the traditional bulb in the most effective and beautiful way. Would it be possible to rethink the Parentesi lamp once more and pass the Manzù-Castiglioni torch on to the future?”
The parenthesis-shaped tube of the original lamp maintains its vertical sliding function over the steel cable, but is now a small rectangular box that houses electronic components and soft-touch switch. The cylindrical weight hanging at the bottom of Castiglioni’s design has been replaced with a cone shape. Only the small spun metal ceiling rose, designed by Castiglioni, remains exactly the same.
Grcic’s design speaks of simplicity, avant-garde and design history. OK is the second offering within the Flos Decorative portfolio by Grcic, which now sits alongside May Day, a multifunctional hanging lamp.
