Superstudio Early Gherpe Table Lamp, Francesconi, Italy, c.1967
About the Item
- Creator:Superstudio (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Width: 21.38 in (54.31 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)
- Power Source:Hardwired
- Voltage:110-150v
- Lampshade:Not Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1967
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Beautiful original condition with only very minor wear and a light expected patina to the metal. Wired for use in the United States.
- Seller Location:San Juan Capistrano, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU922037659082
Gherpe Lamp
Illumination is an interactive act with the 1967 Gherpe lamp from Superstudio. Six interlocking arcs fold out to make a shape reminiscent of a nautilus shell, albeit one far from the natural world. The overlapping layers of translucent plastic create shadows as well as project the light — a playful use of new technology to generate an unexpected visual.
Founded in Florence in 1966 by Adolfo Natalini (1941–2020) and Cristiano Torlado di Francia (1941–2019), Superstudio was a major presence in the Italian Radical design movement that emerged in the latter half of the decade. Alongside groups like Archizoom, Ziggurat and UFO, Superstudio approached design as a form of social commentary, specifically reacting to a commodification of life they perceived as having been promoted by the capitalism of 20th-century modernism. Superstudio was particularly critical of the uniformity that had arisen from an emphasis on industry, function and utility, as well as a disregard for vernacular architecture, all of which they confronted in their seminal 1969 project “Il Monumento Continuo,” or “The Permanent Monument,” a gridded superstructure that they envisioned would consume the whole world in blocky blandness.
The Gherpe lamp exemplifies Superstudio’s provocative work in exhibitions, projects and domestic objects that challenged the dominant perspective of design and embraced the vibrancy of 1960s pop culture. Produced by Italian furniture manufacturer Poltronova, it puts the quality of light in the hands of the user. Closing the lamp’s mollusk-like shell exposes the bright white of its bulb, while opening its “leaves” yields a colorful statement on how design can alter space.
Superstudio
Superstudio was founded in 1966 in Florence, Italy, by Adolfo Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia. One of the country's first Radical design groups as a result of the counterculture movement, Superstudio's anti-architectural proposals used monochrome grid systems as a way to mediate and give equality to space. It was also frequently used in their furniture designs in the way of small white glazed tiles.
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