LUCE estratti LUCE 325 _Capoduri_Jacopo Acciaro | Page 7

A luminous
fourth
dimension
e interviewed the designer Jacopo Acciaro,
founder of the Voltaire Lighting Design
Studio, a dynamic and cutting edge Milan-based
firm, specialized in research and development
of lighting systems.  the relationship between volumes and spaces
and the perception of the geometries.
It was precisely this approach that led me to deal
with the design aspects of light; I have always
seen it as a sort of fourth dimension, which
is essential for the perception of the Architectural
Composition vocabulary and central to the
essence of architecture itself. I had a great
curiosity about how to use and manage the light
to satisfy my “desire” to do architecture; that of
light is a very technical theme, and at the same
time very expressive, mysterious and poetic.
In Architect Castiglioni’s Studio I had the
opportunity to see first-hand how light could –
indeed, should – be considered architecture,
and how lighting design, with all its technical
and cultural aspects, was able to contribute
to the architectural project.
Let’s start from the beginning: soon after
graduating in Architecture at the Polytechnic
of Milan, you were trained in Piero Castiglioni’s
Architect Studio, with whom you have
collaborated for several years in the lighting
design sector. You were telling us you already
had an interest in the world of light in the
university years…
My passion has always been linked to large-
scale design issues, architectural composition, Castiglioni defines himself as an “architect
who deals with light”, and has always rejected
the label of lighting designer. How would
you define yourself?
Because of my cultural approach, I personally
feel very close to the “designer” figure;
a definition that I consider absolutely congruous
and of fundamental importance for those who
aspire to develop lighting design projects.
I think that we should consider the essence
Interview
with Jacopo Acciaro
W
1
of the designer figure as the basis from which
to start a complex project path, aimed at
achieving an integrated and uniform result
with the architectural project. The “designer”
approach stems from a mental process that
is common throughout the design world in
general; being able to build a process composed
of several synchronized steps, and whose
common denominator are strong cultural
and scientific foundations, must be the modus
operandi of the lighting designer aspiring
to great results. From this vision of mine it
follows that, as also indicated by Castiglioni,
the combination of an architectural culture
and a great scientific knowledge of light must
be the basis for professional training.
What are the qualities you look for in your
design – are they moral, aesthetic or functional?
I have spent a lot of time trying to learn how
to build a dialogue with those who are making
architecture; seizing the world that a designer
has created for himself and continues to create
through his cognitive processes is a moral duty
towards architecture itself. The light should
help you make your end result as unitary and
organic as possible, and not a summation
of individual project results. Naturally, each
design subject matter has intrinsic aesthetic
and functional issues, in some cases even
very complex, which must be resolved in
an absolutely effective manner. Design lives
on this great balance, from which I always try
to achieve maximum efficiency with a shared
and highly distinctive design identity.
What do you think of the LED technology?
Surely the LED technology has multiplied
exponentially the lighting themes on which
to work (optical performance, efficiency,
miniaturization, and interaction with
architectural details without neglecting the
management and interaction design aspects),
so it remains a major design theme, charming
but extremely complex in its genesis.
Browsing through your projects, it is easy
to perceive an emotional dimension of light
– as for instance the sensual design for the
EXPO2015 Azerbaijan Pavilion –, but also an
eclectic taste that knows how to agreeably
mix with more linear architectural concepts –
as in the Edizione headquarters of the Benetton
Group or the Diesel Headquarters. The result
is a lighting design that encompasses a variety
of project situations and without prejudice…
Prejudice just cannot be a design principle,
as any form of “closure” or cliché is a design
limit; there will always be a great attention
to the languages and expressions of the
architectural and/or exhibition design. Working
on the generative principles of the project
by supporting them, emphasizing them, and
above all respecting them, often allows you
to achieve different results, but always united
by the expressive impact that light can give
if it is simultaneously planned and fine-tuned
with the general architectural design.
72
All this experience is also functional to the
creation of innovative and technically very
advanced “tailor-made” lighting fixtures,
with the support of some partners.
LUCE 325 / LIGHTING DESIGNERS