gioco ed è il motivo per cui la lampada è un fregio vero e proprio , sospeso in aria : una sospensione fatta di due fregi tenuti assieme da due reggette all ’ interno delle quali corre tutta la parte tecnica , con una doppia illuminazione rivolta in alto e in basso . Ho scelto la ceramica perché è una materia che ho guardato con grande fascino e grande timore , per decenni , tanto è ricca di narrazioni . Io ho iniziato con il vetro e la ceramica è veramente l ’ opposto . Anche se entrambi hanno bisogno del fuoco per essere . Poi è successo che , qualche anno fa , ho avuto questa chance potentissima di lavorare all ’ interno della Bottega Gatti di Faenza e da lì è iniziato tutto il percorso che sto compiendo . Fregio nasce proprio dal voler riportare dentro l ’ illuminazione una materia che c ’ è stata per secoli - basti pensare che un tempo le lanterne erano di terracotta ma , anche con il passaggio all ’ elettricità , la ceramica e la porcellana restano materiali utilizzati . Terra e acqua , forgiate e poi fissate dal fuoco che vivono nello spazio in relazione alla luce . Quindi era importantissimo che questa lampada fosse in ceramica e che uscisse fuori con due matrici , Bottega Gatti e Foscarini . Così sono riuscito a legare insieme due capacità manifatturiere : una più antica che ha cento anni di vita e l ’ altra più giovane , ma ugualmente significativa . photo © Andrea Anastasio
Andrea Anastasio , an artist , designer and philosopher who works with light
LUCE met Andrea Anastasio , a designer , artist and passionate scholar of Oriental philosophies who always places man and his spiritual dimension at the centre of his projects , combining tradition and innovation
was in Delhi in April . And on the morning
“ I of the last day , before returning for the Milan Design Week , I went for a walk among the ruins of ancient Tughlaqabad . I am attracted to archaeological sites , especially if they have no fences , are not gentrified and preserve a lot of nature . At one point , while walking , I had one
Pierluigi Masini è giornalista professionista , laureato in Lettere alla Sapienza di Roma , indirizzo Storia dell ’ arte . Dopo aver lavorato per 35 anni al Gruppo Monrif ( Il Giorno , il Resto del Carlino , La Nazione ), oggi collabora con diverse testate e si occupa di arte e design / Pierluigi Masini is a professional journalist , graduated in Literature from the Sapienza University of Rome , specialising in History of Art . After working for 35 years at Gruppo Monrif ( Il Giorno , il Resto del Carlino , La Nazione ), he now collaborates with various newspapers and covers art and design of those encounters that I find most enriching and keeps me in a state of love with life , the tiny tomb of a Sufi close to the city ramparts …” Andrea Anastasio , an artist and designer , is a passionate scholar of Oriental philosophies and his design research always starts from man and his spiritual dimension . He knows how to surprise you by talking about unexpected encounters and uncommon experiences , events that he tells with a rare sensitivity : the same one that now brings us here , to share his emotion in front of an unexpected light . “ When I arrived , the birds nesting up there above began to chirp to warn others , and I saw this place , marked by an infinity of golden foil ribbons tied to the branches of a tree overlooking the small tomb . The sun and the wind , together , made a poignant impact , at first with the sound of the fluttering tiny foil strips , and then with the light reflecting and shattering the space in a poetic way , connecting it to this place , because the tomb is the memory of that passage between being there with a shape , and no longer being there .”
Light is at the core of your research . Which light strikes you the most ? For example , the one I just described . I refer to the form that light takes in our lives when it is expressed through lanterns in the night , in small mirror reflections , or bits of tinfoil moving in the wind . All this becomes influential in my artistic research because the types of light that I feel closest to me are the less intense ones that unfold out of transparency , through a material that edits them by getting rid of the unnecessary or reflects it in an evocative way . Light is a central theme in my research , and my studies in Oriental philosophy have given me the opportunity to explore different mythological and philosophical narratives , leading me to realise how important this theme is .
Please , tell us … ( he smiles ) I am always surprised to find that reflection about light is closely associated with the one about heat . Light typically has to do with fire and , especially in Indo-European cultures , it is something that introduces not just the vital element related to heat , but also the destructive element - the purifying element of fire . All important rituals of Vedic worship pass through fire and even today , when entering temples to perform an offering ritual to the deity , Brahmins pass the flame under their body and , before arriving at the inner shrine , they make sure that devotees can almost touch the flame with their hands . From the very beginning of my work path , this light-heat pairing made me reflect on how crucial the switch from a flame-related lighting to an electric one was .
Does it mean that there is something about light that we carry around with us , without even realising it ? When we turn on the light , with a switch or a remote control - although in a completely unconscious way - we are still connected to a gesture that has made this ritual a central moment of the day for millennia . Light , tied to heat , has always involved both sight and touch
INTERVIEWS / LUCE 344 29