Artemide
3 collections of Artemide:
- Design: Glass and Tech
- Architectural: Indoor and Outdoor
- Danese: Professional and Environmental
From the 1960s to now, Artemide has experienced drastic changes. For instance, in the beginning, the company focused on Plastic and many new materials, and they did (and still do) extensive research on the relationship between man and light. In the early stages, they were experimenting with how different designs changed how people used their products as well as how to efficiently make changes that were both aesthetic and functional. However, Artemide now focuses more on remakes and the aesthetic of their design.
One of the biggest advances of the company was through the revolutionary use of LED lights. LED lights don’t give off much light, but they gave the company the ability to add color and dimension to their previous inventions. Not only could they completely change their old products and bring forth a new model, but designers were able to create completely new products – many beyond the comprehension of those in their time. They brought in real-life applicable techniques such as the addition of joints to lamps and changing the shapes in order to cast light in a whole new way.
As of 2015, the company has begun using more glass, technology, and modern approaches to design in order to reduce their environmental impacts through their old techniques (i.e. large consumption of Plastic). Now, they try to mix tradition with innovation in order to keep their brand as familiar as possible while still making grand strides towards advancement.
Many great projects include: Li-fi and Ameluna:
“Li-fi” is the interaction between humans and light sources. By creating a dialogue between the two, data and information can be communicated between light sources; this new science is still in the process, but it opens new forms of communication as well as a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between man and their environment.
And Ameluna is a “bright future project” that continues that push for environmental awareness. Light and heat relationship brings about the technical and emotional connections humans have with their environments.
There is also the use of lights to create fonts and creative outlets through the extensive use of lights. Michele de Lucchi, for example, created the Tycho Professional of 2016, which incorporates light by creating a font and building a light-based alphabet. It goes by the acronym: LoT, Light over Time. It’s Reflective Technology that uses LED lights (both colored and not). It can be scheduled through a time sequence, and it creates light symmetry through the programming of light and appliances.
Overall, Artemide is about modernity and functionality. It was a great pleasure to explore their shop as well as their factory. It gives one a new perspective on the relationship between us (humans) and light.