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KONSTVÄRLDEN & NUMBER 8 2009 | PRICE 69 KRONOR INCLUDING VAT | 69 EURO | 68 DKK | 79 NOK

INTERIOR DESIGN | DESIGN | ARCHITECTURE | ART

Verner Panton's lamp Pantop. Manufacturer: Verpen.

Louise Hederström's lamp Dolly. Manufacturer: BSweden.

KONSTVÄRLDEN & DESIGN

A REFORM IS UNDERWAY in lighting design. This has long been acknowledged, but it is only now that things are really starting to happen. It is slowly becoming clear what the consequences of the phase-out of the incandescent light bulb will be. In the year 2012, it will all be a fact. That is when incandescent light bulbs will be banned completely and replaced with energy-saving bulbs, halogen lamps, and LEDs.

So far, the more energy-efficient lamps do not live up to the properties of the incandescent bulb. Many complain about the quality, that they generate too little light and that the light quality is colder. But that will change in the future. It is only a matter of time, according to designer Johan Carpner. He is convinced that the transition will lead to designers finding new solutions that will very much affect the design of the future. — Halogen light and LEDs also have positive properties.

— The actual design of the lamps will become more innovative and surprising. We are used to the light source being in the middle. In the future, it might be on the outside of the shade, in its contours, or in the cord, says Johan Carpner.

The lamp's functions may also increase with the more varied technical solutions. Dimmers can become more advanced, as can motion sensors.

— I can imagine that the brightness will be able to be controlled according to ambient light, which shifts at different seasons or at different times of the day. Examples of this already exist today, he says.

Lamp as a tree

Johan Carpner devotes himself to exclusive lamps. He sees his products as small inventions where he tries to find niches that no one else has done. Most recently, his lamp Glänta has received great attention. In it, one can see traces of his other areas of expertise: graphic design, fabric patterns, and outdoor decorations. The underside of the shade consists of sheet metal with a cutout pattern where branches and leaves emerge. The light is screened through the foliage, whose openings are covered with acrylic plastic. The construction creates a gentle light without sharp contrasts, and the pattern tricks the eye a bit. The branches in the foliage look thin and appear individually, but are connected in an ingenious grid pattern.

— The lamp is completely enclosed, which creates drama in the room. I have chosen to use fluorescent tubes. The advantage of fluorescent tubes is that they can be dimmed, unlike incandescent bulbs, he says.

One of his upcoming lamps is inspired by Swedish copper craftsmanship and the deeply established Swedish folk art style.

— I started from objects in the style of a classic copper kettle or older church lamps made of copper. That kind of object conveys and exudes a feeling that I like and feel nostalgic about, he says.

The copper shade has a natural patina surface, and traces of the soldering iron in the seams are visible. The holes are irregularly placed on the surface — like an organic pattern, or a starry sky if you will.

— I guess that more and more people will become interested in design that is not directly machine-made. I think many are attracted by that little extra, by a bit of crazy and humorous design with a clearer soul of craftsmanship, he says.

As for the market and the offerings as a whole, he is skeptical.

— People just chug along in the same rut. A guess is that they will invest more in classic and romantic forms of expression, perhaps fabric lamps of a somewhat more innovative kind, he says.

Lamps as sculptures

Gunnel Svensson, design manager at the lighting company BSweden, has just returned home from the fair 100 procent Design in London, where they exhibited and checked out what is happening in the industry.

A good example of what fiber optics has to offer. Manufacturer: PID.

Alexander Lervik's lamp MYBrain where he has utilized a large part of the new technology.

Johan Carpner has chosen to emphasize the copper craftsmanship itself in his newly designed lamp to be launched in the future.

NEWS

David Taylor's clothespins. Both as a table lamp and floor lamp. Manufacturer: BSweden.

The French all-round designer Jean Marc Gady calls his sculp- tural lamp "French can can".

She does not seem directly impressed by what the fair had to offer. Nor could she see any obvious trends, except for two discreet tendencies. Namely, that LED lamps have increasingly begun to be used as reading lamps, despite the fact that those types of lamps have relatively narrow beams.

Another tendency she could see was that people have begun to work more with lamps as sculptures, which LEDs make possible since the lights can be integrated into the material in a discreet way.

All of BSweden's current lamps are made to be convertible to energy-efficient light sources. But the company has not launched any LED lamps yet.

— We are experimenting and have to learn what is optimal, otherwise it is easy to suffer setbacks. But now we have a lamp in progress that we will show at the next fair.

Gunnel Svensson is not particularly worried about the future. But she notes that competition will probably toughen going forward as the Chinese are skilled at diode lighting.

— In addition, they have begun to adopt the European design language more than before, and exact copies are becoming increasingly common. Therefore, the Chinese market poses a strong threat to European design companies. The Chinese can offer a design language and, above all, a price that attracts, says Gunnel Svensson.

Lamp and brain

LED foil light-emitting diodes are among the latest developments. It is a kind of foil with mounted LED chips. The designer Alexander Lervik says that liquid LEDs will also be manufactured within a few decades. He is one of the most well-known designers in lighting and is represented at the Röhsska museet in Gothenburg, the Designmuseet in Oslo, and Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. One of his most talked-about lamps is MY Brain, which is exactly what the name suggests, a copy of his own brain.

— It is made using 3D printing, which is a relatively new technology that I lecture a lot about. In that case, I have used all the properties that the technology offers today.

But for now, 3D technology is far too expensive for mass production. Currently, his lamp costs around 60,000 kronor.

Alexander Lervik also devotes much of his time to odd objects, often in limited editions but also in collections. His design is usually described as experimental and playful.

Some of his lamps are reminiscent of the artist Dan Wolgers' distinctive mode of expression, which is often about giving new meaning to well-known objects by placing them in a new context. Well, aside from the fact that Wolgers works extensively with readymades.

— My lamp MY Brainlamp is often considered a bit strange. In Sweden, I am often perceived as spaced out and not so typically Swedish. A large part of my design receives more attention internationally than in Sweden, he says.

Allowing oneself to play during the work process is one of Alexander Lerviks core tenets.

— For me, it's about really daring to do what you want. You don't have to be serious and perfect. I try to incorporate new ideas and add another function, he says.

Dark light

That way of thinking is evident in the illuminated door handle Brighthandle, which has become somewhat of his benchmark. His lamp T1000 is also extremely original and will be launched by the Belgian producer Dark this spring. It is shaped like a metal spine with a round glass shade at the top.

English translation of the original article. Text read from the scanned original; small transcription errors may occur.