Light Bulb LED - White & black Table lamp - / Set of 2 - Limited, numbered edition by Foscarini White/Black

A sculptor turned architect, American James Wines is also a distinguished professor and philosopher of architecture. A leading figure in environmental design and organic architecture, James Wines has received numerous awards and been the subject of several exhibitions (MoMA and Withney Museum in New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, etc). Despite its historical importance, the work of James Wines remains relatively unknown in France. Intentionally provocative, his offbeat humour should not, however, cause us to forget the seriousness of his work, which raises ecological or philosophical issues. This lamp is part of the "Light Bulb Series" project initiated by James Wines in 1991. The artist reflects on the light bulb as an archetype, typically recognisable by its pear shape, which results in a series of surprising objects that blur the line between art and design. The classic shape of the incandescent bulb was initially dictated by the function and technology available at its creation. This form remained constant for decades during which the shape became etched in the collective memory. Technical developments, and in particular LED technology, now make it possible to produce bulbs of all shapes, signifying the end of the globe bulb. But this shape is so ingrained in our culture that it remains omnipresent. James Wines addresses these considerations through the main themes that have always guided his architectural research: inversion, dissolution, nature and all the states of "architectural defect" which allow us to rethink reality by making borders and time disappear. Composed of a few carefully selected pieces produced in limited, numbered edition, the “Light Bulb Series” collection includes different versions of the bulb as an icon. This collection invites us to think of a world of the possible where we can always imagine different ways of producing light. These creations explore subconscious expectations and reactions to everyday objects and experiences, and invite art to where it is least expected. Made of blown glass (with a circular base of lacquered aluminium), Light Bulb lamps faithfully reproduce the shape of a classic incandescent bulb, with a glass globe encased in a socket. These glass bulbs, simply placed on metal discs, evoke old candle holders. This set consists of two models: Black Light (black bulb) and White Light (white bulb). The Black Light model offers an inversion of the functions and parts of the traditional lamp. Here, it’s the lamp holder (the translucent glass socket) that emits light, while the bulb's globe remains black and opaque. The White Light model represents for James Wines: “the matrix, the basic icon still intact, an object that has become the archetype of illumination. ”.