Lytespan 7 Pan Parabolic spotlight
Spotlight
1973-1977 (made)
1973-1977 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
British industrial and interior designer Robert Heritage is celebrated as the most awarded designer in the history of the British Design Council. Known for his wide breadth of work, which encompasses furniture, interiors, lighting, and accessories, he is regularly associated with important 20th-century British designers and architects.
Born in Birmingham in 1927, Heritage studied art at Birmingham College of Art before attending the prestigious Royal College of Art in London. While at school, Heritage met his future wife and British textile designer Dorothy, and together, the pair founded their own studio in 1953. There, Heritage began designing lighting and furniture for new and diverse clients, many of whom he maintained a long-standing relationship, spanning his twenty-year design career. Notable designs include the Isis Chair (1958) for George Stone, stainless steel cutlery with polycarbonate handles for Yote (1964), clock designs for English Clock Systems (circa 1964) and Smiths Industries (1966), the GR69 collection of furniture for Gordon Russell (1969), the Pan Parabolic Lamp (1973) for Concord lighting.
Concord Lighting came into existence in 1964 when its parent company, Rotaflex, floated it on the London Stock Exchange. Concord’s reputation dates back to 1968 when 'Powerflood', one of the first display applications of the double-ended linear halogen lamp, took the lighting market by storm, so much so that Luciano Zucchi, design manager of Concord's original parent company Rotaflex, commented 'We don't sell light fittings - we sell lighting'. In the period from 1979- 1988 Concord established itself as the brand that knew about lighting. This period stood out for many due to Janet Turner - 'A doyenne of the lighting industry.' Janet was Design Director of Concord Lighting for a period of 20 years. Under her leadership and guidance, the then High Holborn (London) showroom became a networking hub for senior designers and architects, many of whom are still well known today for their London based practices.
Born in Birmingham in 1927, Heritage studied art at Birmingham College of Art before attending the prestigious Royal College of Art in London. While at school, Heritage met his future wife and British textile designer Dorothy, and together, the pair founded their own studio in 1953. There, Heritage began designing lighting and furniture for new and diverse clients, many of whom he maintained a long-standing relationship, spanning his twenty-year design career. Notable designs include the Isis Chair (1958) for George Stone, stainless steel cutlery with polycarbonate handles for Yote (1964), clock designs for English Clock Systems (circa 1964) and Smiths Industries (1966), the GR69 collection of furniture for Gordon Russell (1969), the Pan Parabolic Lamp (1973) for Concord lighting.
Concord Lighting came into existence in 1964 when its parent company, Rotaflex, floated it on the London Stock Exchange. Concord’s reputation dates back to 1968 when 'Powerflood', one of the first display applications of the double-ended linear halogen lamp, took the lighting market by storm, so much so that Luciano Zucchi, design manager of Concord's original parent company Rotaflex, commented 'We don't sell light fittings - we sell lighting'. In the period from 1979- 1988 Concord established itself as the brand that knew about lighting. This period stood out for many due to Janet Turner - 'A doyenne of the lighting industry.' Janet was Design Director of Concord Lighting for a period of 20 years. Under her leadership and guidance, the then High Holborn (London) showroom became a networking hub for senior designers and architects, many of whom are still well known today for their London based practices.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Lytespan 7 Pan Parabolic spotlight (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Steel, enamelled and plastic |
| Brief description | Lytespan 7 Pan Parabolic spotlight, designed by Robert Heritage and manufactured by Concord Lighting International, enamelled steel, plastic, British, c.1973. Winner of the Design Council Award 1973. |
| Physical description | Lytespan 7 Quartet Major Pan Parabolic light. Circular, parabolic shade with a narrow rim, the exterior enamelled white, the interior with a reflective surface. The half silvered light bulb fits into a junction at the side which is fixed to an `L' shaped bracket for maximum adjustability and which is attached to a rectangular adaptor in a plastic housing to fit the light track. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Gift of the manufacturer. |
| Object history | Historical significance: Winner of the Design Centre Award in 1973. Lytespan 7, a new four circuit power track from Concord Lighting International - providing four seperately switched circuits in one track - was the lone British winner of a 1972 Gute Form prize - it was poached in a field in which German companies reckon to be very strong. Also cited in Concord's award were the Eurospot and Powerflood (1971 CoID Design Award winner) lights. Design of all three prodcuts is by the company's design team with consultant designer Robert Heritage. Lytespan 7 is a little wider and deeper than the present single circuit Lytespan 2. It is made in the same way from extruded aluminium profile, the coppered contact strips shrouded in and insulating plastics extrusion proof against prying fingers. A new feature of Lytespan 7 is that the special contact shoe, supplied attached to Concord's own lights or as a seperate item for wiring other appliances, is totally contained within the track's dimension. By a number of jointing devices, live ends and stops Lytespan 7 can be laid continuously up walls and across ceilings and round corners horizontally. It can be supplied with a flange for concealed fitting and can be mounted direct to a surface, offset, or pendant. Lytespan 7 allows a total electrical load of 10 1/2 kW (three phase) or 7 1/2 kW (single phase). Also shown is Concord's new Pan-parabolic spotlight designed for easy rebulbing and cheaper production. Design Journal, Lighting up Europe, London, January 1973, pp.74-79. |
| Summary | British industrial and interior designer Robert Heritage is celebrated as the most awarded designer in the history of the British Design Council. Known for his wide breadth of work, which encompasses furniture, interiors, lighting, and accessories, he is regularly associated with important 20th-century British designers and architects. Born in Birmingham in 1927, Heritage studied art at Birmingham College of Art before attending the prestigious Royal College of Art in London. While at school, Heritage met his future wife and British textile designer Dorothy, and together, the pair founded their own studio in 1953. There, Heritage began designing lighting and furniture for new and diverse clients, many of whom he maintained a long-standing relationship, spanning his twenty-year design career. Notable designs include the Isis Chair (1958) for George Stone, stainless steel cutlery with polycarbonate handles for Yote (1964), clock designs for English Clock Systems (circa 1964) and Smiths Industries (1966), the GR69 collection of furniture for Gordon Russell (1969), the Pan Parabolic Lamp (1973) for Concord lighting. Concord Lighting came into existence in 1964 when its parent company, Rotaflex, floated it on the London Stock Exchange. Concord’s reputation dates back to 1968 when 'Powerflood', one of the first display applications of the double-ended linear halogen lamp, took the lighting market by storm, so much so that Luciano Zucchi, design manager of Concord's original parent company Rotaflex, commented 'We don't sell light fittings - we sell lighting'. In the period from 1979- 1988 Concord established itself as the brand that knew about lighting. This period stood out for many due to Janet Turner - 'A doyenne of the lighting industry.' Janet was Design Director of Concord Lighting for a period of 20 years. Under her leadership and guidance, the then High Holborn (London) showroom became a networking hub for senior designers and architects, many of whom are still well known today for their London based practices. |
| Bibliographic reference | Design Journal, Lighting up Europe, London, January 1973, pp.74-79. |
| Other number | 77/2144 - RF number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.84&A-1977 |
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| Record created | April 28, 2011 |
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