Achille Castiglioni is renowned for his lighting, pushing boundaries and creating new pathways. This is certainly the case with his Parentesi Lamp which he designed with Pio Manzoe. Released in 1971 for Flos, its shape, evocative of a parenthesis or a bracket (to enclose words), is as minimal as it gets.
The Parentesi Lamp in black, designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzoe for Flos
The Parentesi Lamp in Bay House by Studio Prineas | Photography by Chris Warnes
Comprising a four-metre-long steel cable that’s attached with a globe that can be moved along this spine, the Parentesi Lamp simply hovers above the floor by means of a weight – the top of the cable is attached to the ceiling by a hook. As stated by Castiglioni at the time, “If you are not curious, forget it. If you are not interested in others, what they do and how they act, then being a designer is not the right job for you.”
This curious approach was also part of Manzoe’s ‘DNA’. At the time he was collaborating with Castiglioni on this lamp, he was working at the Fiat Design Centre, producing the original concept drawings for the Fiat 127 car – with a strong connection made from car lights to the Parentesi Lamp. Sadly, Manzoe was killed in a car accident in 1969, with Castiglioni completing the design for the lamp a couple of years later.
Castiglioni trained as an architect but used his talents across the broader design arena, including designing furniture, radiograms, objects and of course lighting. The Parentesi Lamp is one in a ‘family’ of other lights, including the Luminator which was designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo in 1955, almost 20 years before this one was conceived. Unlike the Luminator, which rests firmly on a tripod-like stand, the Parentesi is even more ‘skeletal’ in its form – comprising only a steel cable and an exposed light.
Architect Huw Wellard, director of Wellard Architects, has both designs in his office in South Melbourne. Both of these lights frame the sitting area. “The Parentesi Lamp is extremely flexible. You can easily shift the globe up or down the cable or rotate it in any direction,” says Huw, who sees it as perfect for both task lighting as well as a softer light when orientated slightly away from the sitter.
The Parentesi Lamp in the South Yarra Apartment by Workroom Design | Photography courtesy of Workroom Design
The Parentesi Lamp in red, designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzoe for Flos
As well as the quality of light provided by the Parentesi Lamp, Huw appreciates its weightlessness, skimming across the floors in his studio. “The weight attached to the cable just hovers above the floor which makes it feel that much more ethereal,” says Huw, who likes to also express this quality in his bespoke homes.
Part of the appeal with the Parentesi Lamp is also due to its recycled aesthetic as though it was constructed in a matter of moments rather through extensive research and development – a cable and a light bulb or two (additional light bulbs can be attached if increased lighting is required). There’s certainly a sense of the work of sculptor Marcel Duchamp who was known for repurposing existing objects to create something completely new.
Less is certainly more with the Parentesi Lamp, occupying perhaps one of the smallest footprints in the field of lighting – with a minimal and non-intrusive line simply framing a lounge suite or office chair. It’s this innovative way of thinking that has made the lamp not only a favourite with architects and designers but also represented in design museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.
