"Tizio was born out of a personal need. When I work or read,
I like to have the light fall only on the sheet of paper in front of
me, with the rest of the room in semi-darkness."
Richard Sapper
"In order to obtain this type of light, it is necessary
to keep the reflector close to the paper. A normal reflector
with a normal bulb would create a large and annoying
volume close to the head. For this reason I decided on
a small and light halogen lamp, needing only a small and
light reflector. I also wanted a working lamp that could be
adjusted with the fingertips and that would not collapse on
the desk due to worn-out joints.
I had to give up the idea of a sufficient range of action
and this too, at least for me, is awkward, since as due to
innate untidiness on the table top I have no space for a
lamp close to me. The best solution to these problems
seemed a lamp with a system of articulation that was
continuously balanced through counterweights: thus the
friction of the points of articulation could be reduced to
the sole compensation of the tolerance of production, thus
complete mobility is guaranteed. To reach this stage, any
possible disturbance to the balancing system obviously had
to be avoided: this excludes the wires for the transmission
of current but, in a low voltage bulb, the arms themselves
can be used as conductors."
Richard Sapper, 1972
6
7
Tizio
50 years
Photo by Elliott Erwitt, 2011