Michele de Lucchi is an architect and designer who was a principal member of both radical groups, Alchymia and Memphis. The Sinerpica lamp was produced for Alchymia in 1979, and is one of a series of products by de Lucchi which counter-acted the hi-tech and hard edged appearance of most modern product design. As a lamp it has limited useful function (i.e. it is not positionable) and is deliberately low tech, with a pastel colour palette not usually used for lighting at the time.

De Lucchi has described his career as having two sides to it - the first an experimental practice which had its roots in the radical architecture of the 1970s (de Lucchi founded the group Cavart in 1973, and was a member of the group Global Tools, both of which explored design and environment in a conceptual, rather than a consumerist and pragmatic way). The other part of his career has been devoted to industry - both as a long term designer for Olivetti (since 1979) and as a designer-manufacturer himself, principally of lighting. De Lucchi was a close associate of Ettore Sottsass, and his work displays a similar interest in colour, surface decoration and in creating objects that provoke emotional responses.