155
Uto
Twiggy
Tress
Aplomb
Kurage
Spokes
Plena
Satellight
Foscarini
Chap. 3 — Design as research
Technical details of the Plena mount, an
arch which tensions the diffuser and defi nes
its shape.
Opposite, Eugenio Gargioni and Guillaume
Albouy observe the attachment systems in
which the special high light refl ectivity PVC
fabric is inserted.
Plena /2017 — design Gargioni and Albouy
About shedding light
Plena is the result of the fi rst partnership
between young designers Eugenio Gargioni
and Guillaume Albouy and Foscarini.
What makes this suspension lamp striking
is that despite its large size its presence is
dynamic and lightweight, achieved thanks
to the delicate compositional balances and
the use of soft, intense light, like the full
moon which inspired its name.
This lamp plays with light and bewitches
with its lighting effect, combining refl ected
light with diffused light: it delivers
outstanding lighting on the surface thanks
to the refl ected light while fi ltering and
softening another part upwards to light a
room, remaining soft and enveloping.
This lighting effect was particularly
intriguing and it surprised everyone during
the testing phase.
The shape consists of two elements that
balance each other and come together: an
arch-shaped aluminium support houses the
light source while keeping in tension the
diffuser disc, made of fabric, like a sail
bloating up with wind. This fl at disc needs
to be bent to be attached and inserted into
the support containing the light source;
consequently the fl exible shape of Plena
is the result of a design and of a gesture.
The overall image conveys a sense of
applied force, expressed by the metal part
which ‘warps’ the cloth, the star of the
entire assembly, imprinting a natural shape,
which changes depending on the
observation perspective. This game of
forces also opens up the space between
the light source and the cloth, striking a
dynamic balance which conveys a feeling of
levity. The lightweight diffuser is made of a
special synthetic fabric with high light
refl ectivity, which is fl exible, elastic and has
shape memory, and is normally used for
large backlit light screens. The light source
is apparently non-existent, hidden from
view and housed inside the diffuser support
arch. Overall, the design of Plena veers on
the essential, and minimises the componen-
ts, paring them down to the technicalities,
whereby the arch-shaped structure also
acts as a dissipator and the transparent
electrical cables are self-supporting.
155
