FLOS OK Lamp Awarded Compasso d’Oro Prize
On the occasion of the ceremony of the XXIV edition of Compasso D’Oro ADI, the lamp OK by Konstantin Grcic, 2014, was awarded with the prestigious Compasso d’Oro Prize, ‘for an object that presents the evolution of an icon while maintaining its traditional elegance’. This award represents the perfect completion of the evolution of Parentesi, designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù in 1971 which was winner of the same Compasso d’Oro in 1979.
A light-emitting disk. A sun hanging from a wire. A luminous circle embracing space. All of these are OK, a flat circular shape with a wire that works like a rail and runs from the ceiling to the floor. Grcic pays homage to Parentesi, an icon of Italian industrial design, redesigning the original light bulb as an ultra-flat LED surface with edge-lighting technology, directable over 360 degrees. The parenthesis-shaped tube of the original lamp maintains its vertical sliding function over the steel cable, but has now become a small rectangular box that houses the electronic components and a soft-touch switch. The formerly cylindrical weight has been substituted by a cone shape, while the small ceiling rose has remained identical.
Once again, Grcic unites technological experimentation, design sensitivity and a taste for unadulterated shapes. His passion for technology and materials translates into design that speaks the languages of simplicity, innovative avant-garde and design history.
On the occasion of the ceremony, held at Palazzo Isimbardi, Francesco Rodriquez – Flos R&D Manager – claimed the prize on behalf of Flos and designer.
During the same ceremony of the XXIV Compasso D’Oro ADI, the suspension lamp Aim by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, 2013, has also received a well-deserved Honorable Mention.
