Black Light Prototype

1991

The Black Light is one of a group of "light bulbs as lamps," designed for a special exhibition of new Venetian glass at Italy's annual furniture fair in Milan. Produced by Foscarini Italia (a major manufacturer of glass products in Murano), the series is an alternative to conventional high-design lighting fixtures. As an inversion of the typical light bulb with socket, this product substitutes Venetian glass units that melt, bend, crack, split, and otherwise alter traditional configurations-a process which changes the context of a banal object by interpreting it in a precious material. The Black Light centerpiece of the ensemble plays with people's expectations concerning the function of a standard bulb as a source of light. In this case, the socket and electrical cord are illuminated, while the bulb remains dark.