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Uto
Twiggy
Tress
Aplomb
Kurage
Spokes
Plena
Satellight
Foscarini
Chap. 3 — Design as research
Weightlessness is a recurring theme
in the designs of Eugeni Quitllet, designer
of Satellight, a sphere of light fl oating in
mid-air captured by a glass bell.
Satellight /2017 — design Eugeni Quitllet
About shedding light
In the poetics of Eugeni Quitllet, a
historical collaborator of Philippe Starck,
a constant theme is weightlessness,
a veritable passion that is evident in several
of his projects, including Satellight, whose
image is reminiscent of light fl oating in
space, captured by a glass bell which
retains and protects it. The real challenge,
in this sense, was to raise the light source
in such a simple way that it would appear as
if suspended in mid-air, a look that also won
over the international jury of the 26th edition
of the Compasso d’Oro award, who awarded
the lamp the honorable mention, for its
signifi cant and innovative use of blown
glass and plate glass, turning it into a
simple and straightforward object, but also
one that is unprecedented and profound in
its poetic lightness.
Inspired by the universal image of the
moon in the night sky, Satellight is
undoubtedly a simple lamp yet one with
a strong evocative force. The satin fi nish
makes the diffuser appear like a textured
presence suspended in mid-air even when
the lamp is switched off, whereas when it
is switched on, its soft, warm light never
causes glare but instead generates
luminous refl ections on the polished,
transparent glass of the external cone.
What’s more, the absence of any support
structure makes Satellight striking from
any perspective.
In the table lamp version, the cable drops
down freely inside the cone and comes out
through a small hole from the glass bell that
rests directly on the installation surface; the
sphere joins the transparent cone through a
small ‘button’ that is not only a decorative
element but also the dimmer touch control.
In the wall lamp version, the suspended
diffuser effect is mirrored and results in
absolute visual and graphic purity.
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