Arco was the result of one of the happiest intuitions in the history of design and is universally acknowledged as an ambassador of Made in Italy in the world. The anniversary becomes an opportunity to revisit the lamp and enhance the design gesture of the Castiglioni brothers: the arch, the true essence of the project, as also underlined by its name.
The heart of Arco is the arch
A floor lamp that illuminates a dining table like a chandelier, Arco is a crossover between traditional types. It is an object that symbolizes expressive freedom in interiors, in line with the social and cultural revolution that was taking place in the years when it was designed.
As often happens in the work of the Castiglioni brothers, the inspiration came by chance.
“While observing street lamps, Achille and Pier Giacomo began to consider how the shape of the arch made it possible to transport light from above onto objects. And then to imagine a lamp capable of accomplishing this task by freeing itself from the fixed ceiling fixture”, explain design curators Calvi and Brambilla. "Arco is a gesture is space that provides a light that drops on things with kindness and that originates from a block that can be freely transported: in essence these were the great revolutions that this lamp brought to the history of design".
Technology and high manufacturing, this is how a masterpiece relives
Starting from the (philological) idea that celebrating Arco means celebrating its design principle, for the limited edition Flos decided to lay bare the base, ideally transporting the gaze from the arch to its origin and the structure that supports it.
The decision to work on the marble was also supported by another issue. Over time, the marble of lamp base has been associated with an idea of ​​preciousness and luxury that the designers did not actually have in mind: marble was indeed selected for the lamp base due to its heaviness and sturdiness, its capacity to withstand the metal arch and cap. At the time, it was the easiest to find and the most logical material to use.
For Arco K the choice fell on a material and a procedure that would not have been possible sixty years ago: a special lead-free crystal, which, thanks to its transparency, reveals the mechanics of the lamp and explains its operation and principle.
Why crystal replaced marble
The heart of the Arco K idea is the use of a material that is recyclable, heavy, refined and technical at the same time: a lead-free crystal, commonly used for optical prisms in labs, laser generators, and small gadgets that require 3D laser inside engraving.
The challenge was, obviously, to move from this small scale to a large one, while still maintaining the same high-precision in the delivery. It was faced through using purposefully-built machinery that made it possible to obtain a piece that is perfect in all its parts. A transparent beautiful block that raises the already high perceived and iconic value of the Arco lamp.
The high precision of the shape that was obtained makes the piece difficult to replicate by plagiarists because it requires a long working process.
Only a spiral spring has been added around the fixing pin to ensure that the internal glass is protected from accidental scratches. Finally, the lower part of the block rests on a black mat, invisible to the naked eye thanks to the play of reflections created in the crystal block.
From a broom to a rolling pin
Arco’s original design features a through hole in which a broomstick can be inserted to move the marble block and lamp from one room or point to another. A gesture that is the result of an extraordinary blend of practicality and irony typical of the Castiglioni’s designs.
Arco K is shipped in the special wooden box which also contains a special wooden support: shorter and more practical than the broom handle, it resembles a rolling pin, with the central part covered with an anti-scratch layer to avoid the risk of damaging the crystal in the movements.
For the rest, the Arco K design is unchanged from the original: the stem is a metal profile with a U section, adjustable in three positions. The light source is a light bulb with a semi-silver cap, albeit LED. The shell is made up of a solid and a perforated part, designed by the Castiglioni to let the heat developed by the light source escape and create a characteristic ceiling decoration.
Through pre-booking it will be possible to optionally order one of the 2022 numbered pieces which, given the complexity and sophistication of the work, require long processing times and great accuracy in manufacturing.
Given the preciousness of the object, Flos has developed a particular encrypted NFC traceability system, which guarantees collectors the originality and uniqueness of each numbered piece.
Flos on Archiproducts
