Mayday lamp
Lamp
1999 (designed), 2018 (designed)
1999 (designed), 2018 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Mayday lamp was designed in 1999 by the German designer Konstantin Grcic (b. 1965) for the Italian lighting manufacturer Flos. Grcic designed the Mayday lamp as a tool that could be useful in different settings. Incorporating a combined hook and handle as well as a regularly edged lampshade enables the Mayday lamp to either be carried, hung, or placed on any flat surface. The lamp reflects two aspects of Grcic’s design method: his experimental approach to lighting as well as his careful engineering of objects in order to optimise them both for manufacture and use.
Grcic established his studio in Munich in 1991, after he trained as a cabinet maker at The John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Wood at Parnham College in Dorset and studied Design at the Royal College of Art in London. The Mayday lamp was Grcic’s first product for the Italian lighting manufacturer Flos and he has since built a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer. Flos is an Italian lighting manufacturer that was founded in the early 1960s around the idea of creating innovative lighting. Working with some of the leading architects of the day, such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Afra and Tobia Scarpa, they reinvented the way lighting was perceived within the home, as sculptural and often humorous interventions. Their Mayday lamp continues this spirit of experimentation.
Grcic established his studio in Munich in 1991, after he trained as a cabinet maker at The John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Wood at Parnham College in Dorset and studied Design at the Royal College of Art in London. The Mayday lamp was Grcic’s first product for the Italian lighting manufacturer Flos and he has since built a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer. Flos is an Italian lighting manufacturer that was founded in the early 1960s around the idea of creating innovative lighting. Working with some of the leading architects of the day, such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Afra and Tobia Scarpa, they reinvented the way lighting was perceived within the home, as sculptural and often humorous interventions. Their Mayday lamp continues this spirit of experimentation.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mayday lamp (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Injection-moulded polypropylene |
| Brief description | Mayday lamp, designed by Konstantin Grcic, Munich, Germany 1999, manufactured by Flos, Italy from 2000, injection-moulded polypropylene |
| Physical description | The lamp consists of three main parts: an orange combined hook and handle, a white funnel-shaped lamp shade that also serves as the lamp’s base for when it rests on a surface, and finally a 5-metre-long black electric cord that can be shortened by winding it around the hook. The lamp weighs only 700 grams and can either hang or stand. The shade acts both as a diffuser of the light and as a protection for the light source. The hook and handle also incorporates a push button switch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Gallery label | A light for every purpose
Versatile objects have become more desirable as living spaces have become smaller. This multifunctional lamp, by German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, can stand or hang and the long cable ensures it can easily be moved around. ‘I designed the lamp to be a tool,’ says Grcic.
Portable lamp Mayday, 2000 (manufactured 2017)
Designed by Konstantin Grcic
Manufactured by Flos, Italy
Injection-moulded polypropylene
Museum no. W.2-2020
This label was written for the Design 1900-Now gallery, where the Mayday lamp is displayed in the 'Housing and Livnig' section. |
| Object history | The Mayday lamp was purchased from the Aram store in London in 2018. The design remains consistent with the original design for the Mayday lamp, which was first produced in 2000. |
| Summary | The Mayday lamp was designed in 1999 by the German designer Konstantin Grcic (b. 1965) for the Italian lighting manufacturer Flos. Grcic designed the Mayday lamp as a tool that could be useful in different settings. Incorporating a combined hook and handle as well as a regularly edged lampshade enables the Mayday lamp to either be carried, hung, or placed on any flat surface. The lamp reflects two aspects of Grcic’s design method: his experimental approach to lighting as well as his careful engineering of objects in order to optimise them both for manufacture and use. Grcic established his studio in Munich in 1991, after he trained as a cabinet maker at The John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Wood at Parnham College in Dorset and studied Design at the Royal College of Art in London. The Mayday lamp was Grcic’s first product for the Italian lighting manufacturer Flos and he has since built a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer. Flos is an Italian lighting manufacturer that was founded in the early 1960s around the idea of creating innovative lighting. Working with some of the leading architects of the day, such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Afra and Tobia Scarpa, they reinvented the way lighting was perceived within the home, as sculptural and often humorous interventions. Their Mayday lamp continues this spirit of experimentation. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.2-2020 |
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| Record created | September 27, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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