Area
Text by Chiara Scalco
Photo by Nava Rapacchietta
From light to shadow, like an eclipse
The lamp Alchemie T designed by Giulia Archimede for Catellani & Smith is made of a number of different materials that form a harmonious whole in warm hues: Alabaster, Brass and Medea stone.
We join Enzo Catellani, founder of Catellani & Smith, and designer Giulia Archimede to find out more about the idea behind the new Alchemie T, a lamp in which alabaster dialogues with stone and brass to create effects of light and shadow. area: Catellani & Smith’s story takes place in a world made of unusual and precious materials. And the same is true of Alchemie T. What are its material qualities? Enzo Catellani: The track/base is made of Medea stone, a marble that has been used to decorate homes and palaces throughout history and comes in a number of different colours and types of veining, attributable to the presence of different minerals.
“Every item I build is a way of expressing emotions”
The second disc in Alchemie is also made of brass, one of my favourite materials ever since I began my production, especially in the Turciù collection. The materials used to make the Alchemie lamp require special workmanship and skilled handcrafting. Alchemie T is a precious sculpture in which the interaction of light and shadow which the user creates by sliding the two discs along the track peaks in a sort of ’total eclipse’ when the two discs are overlapped and the brass completely covers the transparent alabaster.
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