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Since ancient classical times, and
later on throughout the Middle
Ages and the Renaissance up to
the present, the repetitive game
of mathematical sequences and
of geometrical compositions has
inspired artists and experimenters
across the world: the Arabian
architects who used a system
of niches and stalactites of a
prevailingly triangular shape,
called “Muqarnas” (initially used
alone and with large dimensions,
then used repeated in sets and with
smaller dimensions) have been a
stimulating source of inspiration, but
it is the in–depth work conducted
by Escher on the combinations of
triangles and hexagons that has
suggested Febo’s final shape. As in
Granada, Jerusalem and Isfahan, in
the Alhambra and in the Mosques,
the outer volumes are simple and
compact, while the inside volumes,
thanks to the light that filters
through the windows placed all
around the base of the cupolas,
magically and astoundingly dilate.
The same happens in the Febo
suspended lamp: both the natural
light and the LED light hidden inside
the circular frame reflect on the
faceted and mirroring surface of
the lowered dome and transform the
smooth and simple rounded volume
of the lamp into a surprising and
ever–changing exponential game of
defined and luminous refractions.
“Know that the world from end to
end is a mirror; in each atom a
hundred suns are concealed”
Mahmud Shabistari
“Habits take hold only through
continuous repetition and long
custom”
Ibn Khaldun
Interno della moschea di Omar, Gerusalemme, 690 d.C.
