Artecnica presents 2 new designs by designer Clara Von Zweigbergk and new collaborator, architect by trade, Amanda Betz.
The new designs will be on view and for sale from August – 20th to 22nd 2012 at the New York International Gift fair at the Jacob Javits center
SHAYK
First time collaborator, the avant-garde Danish architect / designer, Amanda Betz has created a beautiful and intricate lamp employing a complex industrial and handcrafted process which has become the hallmark of Artecnica’s elaborate and awarded lighting collection.
Betz was inspired to create Shayk by the shapes and shadows in the main mosque of Isfahan near the childhood home of Artecnica’s co-founder and creative director Tahmineh Javanbakht.
The mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah, a marvel of Islamic and Safavid architecture is known for its intricate and honeycomb-like patterns on its dome-shaped ceiling along with ceramic grilled windows that allow the light to filter from above.
The shadows and patterns that Shayk projects on the surrounding walls are dazzling and as pleasing to the eye as the lamp itself.
Shayk a 24” wide by 9” high lamp is made of a high tech synthetic paper for the shade construction and in high temperature PET for the light holder fixture.
This pendant light is made of a single, technically complex yet simple module that can be assembled into several different shapes, making it very versatile and suitable for all kind of interiors.
Q&A with Amanda Betz
Explain your philosophy in architecture and design ?
I try to collage opposite ideas in my designs to create new understandings of what things are. I would like my work to be both beautiful and questioning.
What inspired you to do this shape ?
I have been inspired by the Mosque Shayk Lutfallah in Isfahan.The ornamentation and tiling of this dome is stunning. The idea of combining a dome and light seemed interesting and became very precise when studying the pattern of the Shayk Lutfallah dome. It is based on a universal geometric pattern constructed of logarithmic spirals (wonderful spirals). The graduation of the pattern creates a dome from 2 dimensions to 3.
Why a light ?
Light becomes more understandable when seen through a surface of depth, the idea of a weaved pattern creates a delightful screen for the play of light and shadow. Light is universal as the geometry of the pattern.
Why this material ?
The aim has been from the beginning to create a lamp shade as a flat pack to minimize the package expenses and production. The ancient construction of a dome created in a less glamorous and inexpensive material seemed as a good platform for investigating an interesting design.
About Amanda Betz
Amanda Betz was born in Denmark 1978.
Amanda graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Art and Architecture in 2005, where she was awarded the acclaimed VOLA-prize for her final project.
Since her first days in grad school, Amanda has been working in her own field between art, design and architecture.
Amanda has exhibited in a selection of Galleries and Museums; recently as a part of the exhibition Lake of Fire at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, in Copenhagen.
She has been teaching at the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, for several years and has been awarded by the Danish Art Council numerous times. Recently Amanda was a jury member of the Danish Design Awards.
She has worked for Claus Bjarrum Architects, the Danish art-duo Bosch & Fjord, and designer Astrid Krogh.
In 2011 Amanda designed the pleated lamp shade Cassiopeia for Le Klint.
Amanda’s design collages opposite ideas to create new understandings of what things are; it explores beauty and asks questions.
MONO
Mono, the fourth addition to the Themis Mobile collection, designed by the Stockholm native graphic designer Clara Von Zweigbergk is vastly different from any other mobile of its kind.
Mono is a large 12” wide singular dodecahedron, a twelve-sided geometric shape, composed of different colors on each of its surfaces. Due to its sophistication and playfulness, Mono can appeal to both an adult and young audience by becoming either the accent piece of any interior or by inspiring the study of geometrical shapes.
The colors ranging from pastels to bright fluorescents, from warm to cool hues, were all carefully and painstakingly handpicked by Clara in her creative process, which she describes as “intuition and the way the colors work in contrast to one another.”
The harmonious play of colors instill into the viewer a sense of visual pleasure and fulfillment further enhanced by the faceted nature of the geometry of Mono that allows each individual color to appear in four different shades.
To fully realize the marriage of these beautiful, vivid colors, the Mono is printed on wood-free paper with high-quality spot-printed inks.
Colors: Multi-color and metallic, Material: Wood-free paper
Q&A with Clara Von Zweigbergk
What inspired you to this shape ?
I like this shape in a large size, how the introverted surfaces create shades of the same color and add depth.
Why this material ?
It is a continuation of the Themis series and stays in the same paperweight. Paper is so light and it is enough someone walks through the room and the mobile will start to gently move. Plus it is flat packed, lightweight and foldable.
Why these colors ?
My color choices are always by intuition and how they work in contrast to one another.
What is the name ?
Themis Mono. I think of a solid shape in space, something quite imposing.
What do you think of the Themis Mobile collection as a whole ?
For me this collection represents a very joyful process combining paper and color in three dimensions. It was also a return to a more analog work process.
About ClaraVon Zweigbergk
Clara Von Zweigbergk was born in Stockholm 1970.
Von Zweigbergk studied illustration and graphic design in Sweden, France and the USA.
She culminated her studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, after which she worked as a graphic designer for several advertising agencies and designers in Stockholm.
In 1997 she founded Rivieran Design Studio, with two partners, as a multi-disciplinary agency spawning many successful collaborations with fashion, illustration, architecture, furniture, product and graphic design.
Rivieran quickly gained the eye of the press for its unique structure and interior space.
She has designed and illustrated several books, among them “A Collection of Tickets” by Carouschka which has become a cult item in Japan.
After four years as a graphic designer at Lissoni Associati in Milano, with clients such as Boffi, Porro and Alessi, she has now re-started her studio in Stockholm.
