125
Uto
Twiggy
Tress
Aplomb
Kurage
Spokes
Plena
Satellight
Foscarini
Chap. 3 — Design as research
Uto /2005 — design Lagranja Design
The Lagranja design studio, set up in
Barcelona in 2002, was founded by the
Italian Gabriele Schiavon and the Catalan
Gerard Sanmartí after having previously
collaborated, in particular, with the
Benetton Group’s Fabrica creative centre.
Their idea stems from the notion that
suspension lamps are generally made up of
a body and an electrical cable and is based
on the desire to come up with a unique,
single-material and soft object whereby the
cable can also become a light diffuser. It is
a novel type of lighting object, which is
delightful to touch, high-tech and fl exible
both in its use and its intended
surroundings. The duo stated: “We
attempted to ‘draw’ that cable extension
from the ceiling which we often have to
resort to in those rooms of the home where
the power supply drop is fi xed”.1 The long,
soft rod of Uto, which extends up to 3
metres, can in fact be bent, mirroring the
fl exibility delivered by the material,
and hung from the ceiling with a hook.
“Another design theme we wanted to
address is the versatile use of objects,
even though we do not believe in pieces
which can be transformed for other uses,
but in the use being capable of changing
the object”.
The gestation period for the idea was
rather lengthy, and it comprised a series of
sketches dating back to early 2002; it is
only at a later date, after they met with
Foscarini to discuss it, that the project was
actually developed. This led, for instance,
to a change in the material used: it was
initially supposed to be made with silicone,
but this was subsequently replaced by
another similar material, as silicone easily
soils, weighs a lot and can be broken if
subjected to a strong tension. Research led
to the discovery of a thermoplastic
elastomer derived from the automotive
world and not yet used in lighting, but with
enhanced mechanical characteristics and
which was easier to clean, capable of
fi ltering light, making it docile,
‘domesticated’, and achieving the desired
effect. The switch is hidden inside the tube
and a polycarbonate lens/cap allows the
light through while closing the opening.
About shedding light
125
The Lagranja Design studio in Barcelona,
founded by Gerard Sanmartí and Gabriele
Schiavon, during a development phase of the
project.
1 F. Bulegato, Lagranja Design and the Uto lamp,
in Lux 7, 2006, p. 78.
