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Uto
Twiggy
Tress
Aplomb
Kurage
Spokes
Plena
Satellight
Foscarini
Chap. 3 — Design as research
Cement diffuser after the
hand-fi nishing process.
Opposite, sketches of the lamps
from the Aplomb family and designers
Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere in their
studio in Udine.
Overriding the common perception of a
material while enhancing its textural and
chromatic qualities is in actual fact the very
inspiration behind Aplomb. Knowing all
about raw materials is a constant for Lucidi
and Pevere who at the time this lamp was
being conceived were in the process of
designing outdoor vases in a variety of
materials including earth and cements.
Aplomb is a compact lamp which casts a
concentrated and direct beam of light. Its
name brings to mind the plumb line used in
construction sites, the weight of which
indicates the direction perpendicular to a
horizontal plane. In French however, the
word Aplomb also means easy-going,
confi dent, like someone fearlessly stating
their own non-conformism. For the two
designers, the decision to opt for a small
suspension lamp was the best way to
express its weight while also constituting
a reference to the world of architecture
and concrete.
The heaviness usually associated with
concrete is refuted by the slim shape of the
object achieved during its development, by
identifying a mixture fl uid enough to pour
into a very small mould that would also
ensure maximum resistance to impact and
heat once hardened. The shape, achieved
using a craft-based process of hand
casting, is compact and elegant thanks also
to the detail of the thin stem joined to the
electric wire by an aluminium component.
Equally delightful is the pleasantly rough
fi nish which elevates its sensory appeal,
perfectly in keeping with the colours of the
pigments added to the amalgam: concrete
grey to underline its textured feel, white to
highlight its shape, brown for a warmer and
more intense hue. These colour choices
deliberately distance themselves from a
specifi c trend at the time which preferred
smooth and cold surfaces. The colour range
has been supplemented with brick red,
sand yellow, olive green and anthracite.
The success achieved by introducing
concrete as a material not only earned the
product the honourable mention at the
2014 Compasso d’Oro but it also led to the
expansion of the family using the same
production process in wall lamp versions
(2014) with a tapered shape, as well as in
different dimensions (Aplomb mini, 2015) or
shapes, such as a hat-shaped diffuser
model (Aplomb large 2016) where the
thickness of the concrete has been
minimised; outdoor versions (2017) made
with weather-resistant concrete.
Aplomb /2010 — design Lucidi Pevere
About shedding light
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