Flos

Parentesi Floor lamp metal black / Mains connection - 1971 reissue

The Parentesi Lamp is one of Flos' historic models, designed in 1971 by two Italian design legends Achille Castiglioni (1918 - 2002) & Pio Manzù (1939 - 1969). Incredibly revolutionary for its time, this totally Mobile Lamp won the "Compasso d'Oro" in 1979. It is now part of the permanent collection of New York's MoMA and Milan's Triennale Design Museum.

This hybrid lamp, with its industrial and minimalist accents, is halfway between a floor lamp and a pendant. Parentesi's original idea was to "create a light source that slides vertically from floor to ceiling and rotates 360° on its axis". It consists of a rotating spotlight mounted on an angled metal tube that slides from floor to ceiling along a steel rope. The steel rope (non-electrified) is fixed to the ceiling by means of a Painted metal Ceiling rose. On the floor, a weighted counterweight ensures perfect stability. The Spotlight is fitted with a long black Electrical cable (L 400 cm) terminating in a plug for mains connection.

The Parentesi Lamp lets you direct the light as required. The height and orientation of the spotlight can be adjusted at any time, with a simple wave of the hand. Its light can be direct, to illuminate a particular area, or indirect, to create ambient lighting. Parentesi can replace the use of a pendant lamp, eliminating the need for a ceiling-mounted electrical supply, as it simply plugs into a floor socket. The Parentesi lamp features a dimmer on the electrical cable and a switch on the spotlight. Parentesi is equally at home next to a sofa, a bed, a work top or in a lounge area.

The Parentesi Lamp is the culmination of Achille Castiglioni's research. Generally sober and uncluttered, Achille Castiglioni's creations are innovative in their apparent simplicity, which more often than not conceals a real focus on the balance of form and the use of new materials. Devoid of any aesthetic intent, this approach aims to improve the functionality of existing pieces. The designer takes pleasure in rejecting the traditional form of classic utilitarian objects (such as floor lamps), to propose inventive re-readings, always rational but sculptural, full of humor and tinged with poetry.

In detail:

• Variation : Black

• Brand : Flos

• Designer : Achille Castiglioni - Pio Manzu

• Type : Floor lamp

• Colour : Angled tube (spotlight support) & ceiling mounting rose: black - Floor counterweight, socket & Electrical cable: black - Pendant wire: steel

• Material : Angled tube, ceiling rose & floor counterweight: painted steel - Spotlight: injection-moulded black elastomer - Steel suspension wire

• Dimensions : Angled tube (Spotlight Stand) : L 58 cm - Length of adjustable steel wire: L 400 cm max. - Electrical cable: L 400 cm (from socket) - Base: Ø 11 cm
• Weight : 7.92 lb
• Characteristics : Design icon (creation year 1971) - Signed by two Italian design legends: Achille Castiglioni (1918 - 2002) & Pio Manzù (1939 - 1969) - Awarded : Compasso d'Oro 1979, Permanent collection of MoMA, New York and Triennale Design Museum, Milan - Lamp fitted with a black electrical cable terminating in a plug to be connected to the mains - Steel wire (not electrified) to be fixed to the ceiling (fixing rosette supplied) and fitted with a counterweight on the floor - Spotlight rotatable (360°) and height-adjustable (slides from floor to ceiling on steel wire) - Switch on spotlight + dimmer on cable - Bulb (not supplied): 1 x E27 max. 150W (recommended: E27 LED 8W) - Bulb sold separately
• Country of Manufacture : Italy