Work: Parentesi

Description

“Also for the Parentesi (Bracket) lamp, there is an initial question: how can you illuminate high and low, left and right, upwards or downwards, with a single light source? It requires an axis around which the lightbulb can rotate, but also one that allows the user to move it up and down without burning their fingers. Yet again, a complex question finds a simple answer, in the fundamental nature of Achille Castiglioni.”— Chiara Alessi

The Parentesi lamp was born from a brilliant posthumous dialogue between two visionary minds: automobile designer Pio Manzù, who conceived the initial idea of a cylindrical light source gliding along a floor-to-ceiling pole, and maestro Achille Castiglioni, who re-engineered it for industrial production. Released in 1971 and manufactured by Flos ever since, it remains a timeless triumph of functionalist design.

It was Castiglioni who strip-mined existing hardware store essentials—repurposing electrical and maritime components—to craft a highly versatile luminaire capable of projecting light in any direction and at any height, all while ensuring the user could adjust it safely without burning their fingers.

With a maximum height of 4 meters, Parentesi is a suspension lamp that anchors to the ceiling and extends to the floor. Its ingenious anatomy relies on absolute minimalism, consisting of just four core components: a vertical steel cord hung from a small ceiling fixture, a heavy, rubber-coated lead weight that rests just above the floor, utilizing gravity to keep the line taut, a nautical turnbuckle that fine-tunes the structural tension and the central, bent steel tube through which the cable passes.

The name “Parentesi” (Italian for parenthesis or bracket) is a direct nod to this distinctively curved tube. Its precise, gently skewed shape is not just aesthetic—it is the functional heart of the design. By creating mechanical friction against the taut cable, the tube holds its position perfectly at any height without the need for screws or locking mechanisms; yet, a simple manual push allows it to slide smoothly up or down.

While the standout version in this collection features a vibrant red painted tube, the fixture is produced in various colors. The lamp holder is mounted directly to this bracket, accommodating a powerful, exposed 150-watt bulb that can be rotated 360 degrees.

The structural honesty of the Parentesi extends all the way to how it was delivered to the consumer, turning the packaging itself into a legendary piece of industrial design.

“The result of this articulated intervention is an industrial design project reduced to its essentials and which, to reaffirm the sturdiness of the skeleton, was originally sold with all its components separate, in a large transparent plastic blister pack with a handle, just as the whole process that informs this object is transparent and reduced to the bone. Parentesi is still a flagship item in the catalogue of the manufacturing company, FLOS.”— Chiara Alessi

Parentesi – duration 1:02
Sonic evocation of the object created by Paolo Ferrario

Further information: Parentesi on the website