Big Shadow

“Working with craftspeople is always a pleasure. We share a passion for creation and engage in the conversation from two different angles. If both work well and take responsibility for their side of the work, magic can happen. Brass is a new area for me; I haven’t worked with it for long, and I’m curious about what we can dream up together. I designed this lamp in 1988, but now, 35 years later, I’ve returned to my initial sketches and have now decided to develop them in full. It’s wonderful not to speak the same language and yet communicate, creating something that relies on material skills and the universal language of ideas”. (Marcel Wanders)

“The project I was involved in encompasses several significant facets, from the lamp’s straightforward functionality and sleek, minimalistic design to the craftsmanship techniques employed. The end result unites brass in its two most contrasting states: cast brass, and sheet laminated brass. This poses a formidable challenge, because we have to strive to combine these different aspects of the metal to best effect. Above and beyond his acclaimed brilliance and mastery of the craft, the thing that appealed to me most about Marcel was his humanity and empathy. He is a designer of international standing, but he fully engaged with our artisan atelier, approaching us with understanding and lending an attentive ear”. (Ambrogio Carati)

“Among all the materials of De Castelli Materioteca, Marcel Wanders has chosen the precious and noble copper in the DeNuance finishing, an unprecedent reinterpretation of enamels, which is obtained through the combination of fire, oxidation and pigments. Highly expressive, the finishing reaches a wide spectrum of nuances. The handmade hammering technique shapes the copper metal sheets which then welded together give life to the iconic lamp silhouette”. (De Castelli)