Vitruvio Pendant - / Blown glass - ø 40 cm by Artemide Black

"Mechanical intelligence is transformed into an expression of beauty. The Vitruvio lighting collection combines tradition and innovation: the ancient know-how of the art of glassblowing is approached with a technological perspective turned towards the future. The lamp consists of two parts: a hand-blown glass sphere and a fine metal structure. The two parts are interconnected by a mechanical device which seems simple, but which is nevertheless a jewel of technology, sophistication and mechanical precision. Three thin metal rods are introduced into the glass sphere by means of an ingenious mechanism inspired by watchmaking. These movable rods open inside the diffuser. Thanks to the extreme precision of the geometric interlocking and balancing of the weights, the rods support the glass sphere, both when facing upwards in the floor lamp version, and when facing towards the bottom in the pendant version. Armand Louis, one of the three founding partners of Atelier Oï, explains: "The idea was to develop a very simple mechanism that, once inside the sphere, could open and hold the lamp with its weight. " The shape of the blown glass diffuser derives from optical intelligence. The raised horizontal stripes mask the light source from view, preventing glare and ensuring more even light distribution. To mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the Swiss designers from Atelier Oï wanted to pay tribute to him. Their Vitruvio lamp is inspired by Leonardo's famous drawing "The Vitruvian Man" of a man inscribed inside a circle: illustrating the perfect proportions of the human body, it’s an allegorical symbol of Humanism, the Renaissance and rationalism. Armand Louis, one of the three founding partners of Atelier Oï, explains: "The idea was to develop a very simple mechanism that, once inside the sphere, could open and hold the lamp with its weight". The projects of the Swiss designers of Atelier Oï are always imbued with intelligence, quality, emotion, poetry and, above all, respect for values ​​such as sustainability, ethical and manufacturing responsibility, which are essential for Artemide. ".