Project Name
Light Portraits
Posted in
Lighting Design, Photography
Product Designer
Foscarini S.p.A.
Year
2015
Detailed Information
Project NameLight PortraitsPosted inLighting Design, PhotographyProduct Designer Foscarini S.p.A.
Year2015

Shadow, balance, rhythm, lightness, freedom, warmth, chaos and fire: just some of the words that have been poetically redefined through the beautiful light-portraiture of the latest ‘RITRATTI’ catalogue by Italian light manufacturer Foscarini (founded on Murano Island in VeniceItaly, in 1981 and now run by designer Carlo Urbinati). More coffee-table book than commercial catalogue, RITRATTI (the word means ‘portraits’ in Italian) was presented to a selected group of journalists at the end of March 2015 in Venice, Italy.

'Tuareg' by Ferruccio Laviani, 2013. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Tuareg' by Ferruccio Laviani, 2013. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Allegro' by Atelier Oï, 2007. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Allegro' by Atelier Oï, 2007. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Caboche' by Patricia Urquiola with Eliana Gerotto, 2005. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Caboche' by Patricia Urquiola with Eliana Gerotto, 2005. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

Book spread 'Libertà', text by Giulio Iacchetti for Ritratti-volume 1, © Foscarini.

Book spread 'Libertà', text by Giulio Iacchetti for Ritratti-volume 1, © Foscarini.

But first, let me take you a back in time, to 2010 to be exact, the year that another Foscarini project was born. Named INVENTARIO — a bookzine edited by Italian author and architect Beppe Finessi, art directed by Artemio Croatto/Designwork and published by Corraini Edizioni, its objective was not only to put ideas into order but to relayFoscarini’s values.  Ιf you’ve ever had the chance to get your hands on an a copy of INVENTARIO (you can order it from here), it’s easy to see why it recently won the 2014 ADI Compasso d'Oro Award, one of the most prestigious design awards in the world.

The abovementioned ‘killer team’ was recruited once again with the objective of creating a new Foscarini catalogue, an idea that was conceived a year ago when Carlo Urbinati, Foscarini’s founder, decided that the company needed a change, a new beginning. This signified the start of a creative process that delved into imagining what Foscarini would look like if it was born today, mainly through revisiting the company’s archives. The result: the RITRATTI book, a photographic project that interprets the many souls of Foscarini lamps, as they are captured lit in different environments, beautifully exposing their forms and light spectrum. At this point allow me to recall the neon tubes by Maurizio Nannucci installed in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum’s garden in Venice, since I believe they perfectly sum up Carlo Urbinati’s vision:

''Changing Place, Changing Time, Changing Thoughts, Changing Future''.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006 and 'Binik' by Ionna Vautrin, 2010. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006 and 'Binik' by Ionna Vautrin, 2010. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Aplomb' by Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere, 2010. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Aplomb' by Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere, 2010. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Uto' by Lagranja Design, 2005. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Uto' by Lagranja Design, 2005. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Gregg outdoor terra' by L+R Palomba, 2011. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Gregg outdoor terra' by L+R Palomba, 2011. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

Book spread 'Ombra', text by Attilio Stocchi for Ritratti-volume 1, © Foscarini.

Book spread 'Ombra', text by Attilio Stocchi for Ritratti-volume 1, © Foscarini.

And speaking of change, this brilliant catalogue — which was shot in five different palazzos in RiminiVicenza,ThieneVerona and Milano as well as inside the Arsenale di Venezia — depicts an aspect of Foscarini which has been hidden in the shadows until now… The catalogue of course owes much of its success to the impeccable style direction of architect Elisa Ossino and the talent of interior photography masters Tommaso SartoriAndrea Ferrari and Kasia Gatkowska. In a text contained in the RITRATTI book, contributor Attilio Stocchi states that ‘‘carrying your shadow with you is the most beautiful voyage’’ a shadow which for Foscarini, is of course none other than their venerable 30 years of experience, innovation and great design.

'Chouchin' by Ioanna Vautrin, 2011. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Chouchin' by Ioanna Vautrin, 2011. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Twiggy' by Marc Sadler, 2006. Photo by Kasia Gatkowska, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Havana' by Joseph Forakis, 1993. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Havana' by Joseph Forakis, 1993. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Anisha' by Studio Lievore Altherr Molina, 2011. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Anisha' by Studio Lievore Altherr Molina, 2011. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Lightweight' by Tom Dixon, 1995. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Lightweight' by Tom Dixon, 1995. Photo by Andrea Ferrari, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Solar outdoor' by L+R Palomba, 2011. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

'Solar outdoor' by L+R Palomba, 2011. Photo by Tommaso Sartori, © Foscarini, RITRATTI-volume 1.

Light Portraits by Foscarini

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