For the first time in more than twenty years of career, by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec presents two separate collections for Flos at Euroluce 2023
The 31st edition of the biennial Euroluce
The much anticipated 31st edition of the biennial Euroluce fair took place from 18-23 April with a new exhibition layout designed to guarantee better connections between the four pavilions and to provide visitors with the most immersive experience possible.
The City of Lights was the common thread uniting the exhibitors’ set ups in a kaleidoscopic and irregular path, inspired by the plants of classic Italian towns. A compendium of the best indoor, outdoor and industrial lighting solutions designed by leading companies in the sector with a multi-disciplinary approach drawing from other fields of creativity, from architecture to sculpture and installation.
Fabio Calvi and Paolo Brambilla
On this occasion, Flos made its return to Rho Fiera Milano with an ingenious exhibition path designed by the acclaimed Italian studio Calvi Brambilla. Fabio Calvi and Paolo Brambilla, who have acted as Design Curators for the brand since 2019, have designed a sort of journey through the new Flos products and its innovative technologies which have disrupted the lighting sector since its foundation. Embracing a capsule concept, the Flos exhibition was composed of a series of small architectural spaces formed by two intersecting volumes, cubic or cylindrical in shape.
Divided into two parts – the first dedicated to the abstract concept and idea behind the project, and the second dedicated to the lamp itself -, each capsule is a small luminous universe revolving around one of the outstanding projects presented by Flos: «Every Flos product is a world in itself, a unique creation which reflects the vision of the designer who created it. […] The Flos presentation at Euroluce 2023 reflects this attitude», explain Calvi and Brambilla.
The new sustainable products presented by Flos at Salone del Mobile, April 2023
In line with the theme of this edition of Salone del Mobile and with the growing awareness of pressing issues such as the circular economy and the reduction of waste and consumption, the new Flos products stand out for their sustainable features.
Together with re-editions of historic pieces – Taccia, by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, presented with a white finish which accentuates its aesthetic purity, the 2097 by Gino Sarfatti reworked in a larger size, and the 226/A wall model – new products combining Flos’ cutting-edge technology with the bold design of some of the greatest contemporary designers illuminated the 800m2 of the Italian company’s stand.
Konstantin Grcic introduced a sculptural extendable wall light featuring a unique and rebellious shape, while Philippe Malouin, in his debut with Flos, presented an original adjustable table lamp with a playful spirit. Finally, a great novelty for the world of design: the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have individually created two different lamps for Flos, very different in typology, design and concept.
Emi by Erwan Bouroullec
Technology and quality meet in the collection designed by Erwan Bouroullec, Emi. A series of indoor lamps whose design originated from grouping three light modules inside linear and compact extrusions, with a triangular section joined at the top.
«Since the beginning I thought of three sources of light, it seemed the perfect quantity. Afterwards it became a triangle. Everything is a triangle: the main body, the tiny stick at the top. It was a funny investigation of shape because if you think about it, you are usually confronted with circular or rectangular shapes. However the lamp is very minimal because it is made of few elements», explains E. Bouroullec.
Declined in four versions – ceiling suspended, ceiling mounted, floor and table – the lamps are designed to be combined and thus harmonize the light sources within an extended space. Flos’ installation at Euroluce 2023, in which floor and ceiling lamps alternated to create a poetic play of light, was in fact reminiscent of a sort of luminous forest.
«Forest is a good word because I absolutely wanted to make a very coherent connection between the lamps. In wide spaces you need a number of sources of light and for that you can choose among different strategies: either you use many different kinds of sources – but sometimes it can be too chaotic – or you can repeat the same module, to keep the space more tidy and quiet and give free space for something else. Emi come ins quantity, either in alignment and symmetry or not».
Flos’ Light Shadow optical concept
Emi was constructed around Flos’ Light Shadow optical concept. The lamp’s shape and its refined technology mean that it is not clear from which point the light originates exactly. Thus the name Emi, from “emission”. «It is like a light cannon, it emits a lot of power, but you never see the light directly. I chose matte paintings because I wanted it to be like shadow. That does not mean dark, but I did not want it to reflect light from any other sources», the designer claims.
Available in different colors, Emi is mainly realized in aluminum – partially recycled and totally recyclable – and is designed to last over time by establishing a dialogue with the environment and with the other pieces in the collection, if purchased in multiple colors and types.
Céramique by Ronan Bouroullec
Forget the minimal style and technological research of Emi, Céramique by Ronana Bouroullec is a hymn to craftsmanship But do not be fooled by its simple and sinuous appearance, the object as we see it today is the result of a long process which lasted about two years. The elegance of the simple structure, composed of three elements – base, stem and a cap – is accentuated by the intrinsic properties of the material chosen by the designer: ceramic.
«Ceramic is sustainable and full of sensuality. After designing a lot of lamps in different sizes – sometimes huge – I wanted to come back to simplicity and create something nice and functional. If you look at Flos catalog from the 50s to today there are some great lamps which are just good objects, easy to understand. That is exactly what I wanted to do», explains R. Bouroullec.
Céramique – the colors recall the naturalness of the material
Céramique is equipped with a mobile cap which allows users to direct the light beam, making it both a functional and aesthetically pleasing object. Available in a sophisticated color palette – Moss Green, Navy Blue and Rust Red –, the lamp designed by R. Bouroullec is covered with a lead-free crystalline lacquered finish which highlights the entirely handmade surface.
«The colors recall the naturalness of the material and are the result of several tests. Drawing a lot I have developed a certain sensitivity when it comes to colors, but I find it hard to explain my color choices in words. I really like Rust Red, I find it delicate because it is halfway between terracotta and red».
Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec on working individually
Technological research versus materiality, minimal style versus sensual shapes, matte surfaces versus shiny lacquered textures: the families of lamps presented by the Bouroullec brothers could not be more different. «These collections were born separately with totally different spirits», claims R. Bouroullec.
«Inside the design process there is a nature which forces you to go to the very minimum. It is not like an opera with hundreds of instruments, design is often made by one single sound. Talking too much, discussing too much, removing too much can be frustrating and alienating sometimes, because there are so few choices to be made. Rationality is important because, of course, we design objects for the real world, but design must also embody culture: a coffee cup is not just an object for serving coffee, but it actually says “You are welcome, sit here for a bit etc.” And you need to use intuition for this kind of things, to create bounds between people through objects», adds Erwan.
They have been collaborating for twenty-five years and they certainly do not intend to stop now, they just want to open up to new individual investigations and stimuli. «Change is something which can be difficult to get along with sometimes – claims E. Bouroullec – but it is like a river, you must never fight it».
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
Ronan (born 1971) and Erwan Bouroullec (born 1976) are brothers and designers based in Paris. They have been working together for about fifteen years bonded by diligence and challenged by their distinct personalities. In 1997, they were spotted by Cappellini, giving them their first industrial design projects. Since then, they have gone on to work with Vitra, Artek, Alessi, Axor Hansgrohe, Established & Sons, Flos, Hay, Kettal, Kvadrat, Kartell and many more.
