Not currently on display at the V&A

Spotlight

Spotlight
1961 (designed), 1963 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

John and Sylvia Reid met whilst studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Architecture in London at the beginning of the Second World War. There they formed a relationship which was to sustain them through a fruitful and prolific design partnership until John's death in 1992. In 1953, the British company called Rotaflex was founded by Bernard Stern, painter turned industrialist, who commissioned John and Sylvia Reid to design lamps which received several awards.

Three Milan Triennale medals and four Design Council awards testify to the virtuosity and breadth of range of their architectural and industrial designs.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSpotlight (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Anodized aluminium and steel
Brief description
Adjustable spotlight with track fitting 4501, designed by John and Sylvia Reid and manufactured by Rotaflex, London, 1963. Winner of the Design Centre Award 1961.
Physical description
Adjustable spotlight with track fitting. The light bulb housed in an anodized aluminium cylinder, supported on a `U' shaped bracket of steel strip attached to a circular base.
Dimensions
  • Height: 33.02cm (Note: Converted from feet and inches and taken from the register.)
  • Diameter: 12.7cm (Note: Converted from inches and taken from the register.)
Credit line
Gift of the manufacturer
Object history
Historical significance: Winner of the Design Centre Award in 1961.
Summary
John and Sylvia Reid met whilst studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Architecture in London at the beginning of the Second World War. There they formed a relationship which was to sustain them through a fruitful and prolific design partnership until John's death in 1992. In 1953, the British company called Rotaflex was founded by Bernard Stern, painter turned industrialist, who commissioned John and Sylvia Reid to design lamps which received several awards.

Three Milan Triennale medals and four Design Council awards testify to the virtuosity and breadth of range of their architectural and industrial designs.
Bibliographic reference
Crowther, Lily. Award Winning British Design 1957-1988. London: V&A Publishing, 2012. p.48
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.386-1963

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Record createdApril 26, 2011
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