49
GUBI PRESENTS
48
During a period of forward-looking post-war optimism, Mathieu
Matégot (1910–2001) put his own material innovation, Rigitulle, to
work in his Satellite Collection, named with a nod and a wink to the
scientific progress in France at the time. Rigitulle enabled Matégot
to reinvent the traditional lampshade, conceiving a playful new
typology for lighting.
The Satellite Wall Lamp – which can also be mounted on the ceiling –
comprises two arms, each finished with an individual ovoid Rigitulle
shade. The shades are identical to those used in the Satellite Pendant,
where they are topped with a shallow ‘hat’ to deflect light back into
the room, but without the ‘hat’, they have a very different expression.
Matégot didn’t consider a lamp merely a functional object, but rather
a key player in any interior scheme. It had not only to provide lighting,
but brilliance, surprise and delight. As a result, the Satellite Wall
Lamp is almost an abstract modernist sculpture in monochromatic
black and white when switched off. Turn it on and its playful and airy
construction radiates beguiling patterns of light, creating a dynamic
and playful, yet subtle ambience.
Satellite Collection
Wall lamp available late February 2021