Guest Blogger Massimo Gardone from Foscarini

Inspire started as a collaborative creative exercise with Foscarini, of looking for a different language to tell the story of design. What if we did not have words to explain the creative process? What if we had to come up with another language to convey the story of inspiration, creation and the ultimate effect of the finished piece?

I spent a lot of time thinking about what moves a designer. I decided to create a narrative between the powerful influence of nature and our designs. In creating the storyline, I had the fascinating challenge to illustrate nature and the elements through some of Foscarini’s most iconic lighting designs from the last few years.

We wanted our work to be impactful, emotional and sensual. Together as a team, we chose the language of film and sound to tell the story, as we thought this would result the most immersive experience. I designed the concept for the video together with Fabio Bressan, and Francesco Morosini was responsible of the sound, which was a huge part of the work. We decided using a deconstructed narrative in 27 fragments that would harmoniously work together to tell the same story as a whole.

Spanish designer Vicente Garcia Jimenez made this artistic vision come to life as an installation. He designed the ideal setting for screening the piece—a large hall as dark as night where a large projection may feel like the viewer is alone with their feelings.

The result was the video installation called Inspire telling the story of some of Foscarini’s most iconic designs. The installation was unveiled in Milan during the 2012 Salone del Mobile. It was then adopted by Jimenez to a new space and the whole experience was re-created in New York during New York Design Week. The showroom on Greene Street was painted black and the light of our silver screens and lamps sprinkled throughout were the only glow in the space, drawing you deeper into the film.

The video starts with a sound, the bellowing boom, an explosion. A monolith, a block of rock explodes to give birth to the lamp Aplomb. Then comes the sun, its magma, the big bang, when everything begins. With this powerful representation of creation, the viewers are meant to feel the expression of the birth of an idea. Next the atmosphere expands. We go on a journey through designs and elements. Then comes the cool of sudden rain, the dark night, lacerated by a powerful beam of light. Primordial elements and sudden illuminations, the heart of the earth and the vital light of the sun, the blue sky that becomes a galaxy of stars, which in turn become particles of energy.

As we travel through the film, the viewer feels the expression of our ideas through nature. Our intention was to heighten viewers’ senses and their curiosity with each vignette. We wanted the viewer’s mind to narrate the tale as they watch this journey of creation and innovation.

Inspire allowed us to push the limits in design communication, and connect to what surrounds us. We wanted to push the boundaries of how one experiences the art of light, more than a piece of industrial design, but through pure emotion that light provides. Through this video, we hope we were able to demonstrate the magic of light and shade.