FLOS OKDESIGNED BY KONSTANTIN GRCIC

It is a truly enlightening story of design

evolution, the one of the Parentesi lamp.

Pio Manzù’s original idea of creating a

“light source that can slide vertically from

its axis” was adapted by Achille Castigli-

A beautiful original illustration reveals the

Parentesi lamp in 1972 and it has been in

continuous production ever since.

Forty years later, much has changed. The

world of lighting has seen a fundamental

shift from conventional bulbs to a vari-

ety of new lighting technologies which in

themselves are creating new opportuni-

ties for the design and manufacturing of

lamps. Designing a lamp is no longer lim-

ited to working around a given bulb. To-

day, 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 re-

think the Parentesi lamp once more and

pass the Manzù-Castiglioni torch on to

the future?

A light-emitting disk. A sun hanging from a wire. A luminous circle embrac-

Grcic unites technological experimentation, design sensitivity and a taste for

unadulterated shapes. His passion for technology and materials translates

into design that speaks the languages of simplicity, innovative avant-garde

and design history.

And so Grcic pays homage to an icon of Italian industrial design, redesigning

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original lamp maintains its vertical sliding function over the steel cable, but

has now become a small rectangular box that houses the electronic com-

ponents and a soft-touch switch. The formerly cylindrical weight has been

substituted by an easier-to-install cone shape. Only the small ceiling rose,

designed by Achille Castiglioni, has remained identical: a beautifully shaped

piece of spun metal.

Suspension direct light lamp. Adjustable cast aluminium glossy painted head. The vertical movement of the head is obtained by the scroll of the internal structure on a steel cable. Soft Touch technology for the ON/OFF switching.

Finishes: white, black, yellow and nickel

Power supply: 24v DC

(all colours)