Barro Lampara by Caterina Moretti is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award nga Pilak in Disenyo sa Produkto ug Fixture sa Suga Competition Category.

PilakSuga· 2023

Barro Lampara

by Caterina Moretti

Client: Graypants

A' Design Award nga Pilak Winner in Suga Category

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Colors

The Design

About Barro Lampara

Gikuha sa Barro Lamp ang kainit sa kinaiyahan sa usa ka komposisyon sa yutang kulonon ug bildo. Kini nga pendant lamp gihimo sa duha ka elemento diin ang lungsod sa Mexico sa Oaxaca mao ang panguna nga karakter. Gihulma sa San Bartolo Coyotepec craftspeople nga batid sa Barro Negro sukad sa pre-Columbian panahon; ang usa ka gihuyop nga bildo nga simboryo nagtabon sa yutang kolonon nga istruktura: simbolikong panalipod nga nagbantay sa bililhong mga butang. Ang Barro lamp anaa sa duha ka bersyon: pula nga yutang kulonon ug transparent nga landong ug itom nga yutang kulonon nga adunay gray nga landong.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award nga Pilak

Barro Lampara usa ka mananaog sa A' Design Award nga Pilak, usa ka talagsaon kaayo nga prestihiyoso nga pag-ila nga gihatag sa labing taas nga lebel, matahom, ug makadani nga mga disenyo. Ang mga mananaog sa Pilak labihan ka hayag ug mamugnaon nga mga buhat nga nagpakita sa bantogan nga kahanas, talento, ug kamatngon sa ilang mga tigdesinyo. Gilauman nga ang Barro Lampara mahimong talagsaon nga buhat nga ipasigarbo, dako ang pagkapropesyonal ug lawom ang kabag-ohan. Kini nga disenyo nga nakadaog og A' Design Award nga Pilak usa ka labihan ka mamatikdan, gihangaan nga imbento nga mapuslanon ug nagpalapad sa mga utlanan sa arte, siyensya, disenyo, ug teknolohiya. Barro Lampara usa ka paglalang nga giinggit sa daghan, nga nagpukaw og mga tinguha, nagdala og positibo nga mga pagbati, ug nagsiga sa katingala ug paghangyo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Made from Oaxacan Barro Negro clay and blown glass, Barro Pendant Lamp is not only a meeting point of ancestral traditions and contemporary design, it is also an exploration where the limits of traditional materials and techniques are pushed and the clay’s essence is brought to a modern setting. The clean lines of the cylindrical clay structure are circled by a blown glass dome -a symbolic protection for precious objects- rendering a soft, filtered light. Barro pendant lamp is available in two versions: red with a transparent dome and charcoal with a smoke gray dome.
Dimensions & Packaging: Overall product dimensions are 165 mm in diameter x 350 mm in height.
Tags: Lamp, clay lamp, pendant light, contemporary lighting, interior design, Mexican traditional techniques, hand-blown glass
Production Technology: A clay cylindrical structure sits inside a glass-blown glass cylindrical dome that envelops and lends the lamp its main form. Oaxacan Black Clay is a technique dating back from Pre-Hispanic times and has withstood the passage of time, perfected through trial and error to create such perfect pieces we enjoy today. Only in the small community of San Pedro Coyotepec on the outskirts of Oaxaca City, this technique is mastered by sourcing local clay and hand-burnishing each piece before firing using a smooth stone in order to achieve its characteristic iridescent sheen and smooth feel. The pieces are then set in a special two-vent kiln on a process known as reduction of atmospheres where in a precise moment, close to the end of the firing the vents are shut down to reduce oxygen intake and so generating a chemical reaction that will produce a deep black color in the natural color of the clay. The red clay is fired for a shorter time and the oxygen reduction technique is not used.
The outer part of the lamp is a blow-glass shade made by a local craftsman we have worked with before. He created a textured glass dome of sorts that surrounds the clay structure, rendering soft, filtered light.
Design Challenge: Since both components of the lamp are made by experts in trades passed along through many years –centuries in the case of Oaxacan Black clay, in general, Barro Lamp is a product of empirical knowledge and age-old technology. The methods have been tried and perfected through the craftspeople's work and learned from their experience and intuition, ingrained in their technique like second nature.
Research: This has been mostly an empiric project, since both components of the lamp are made by experts in a trade that has been passed along through many years –centuries in the case of the Black clay. Some of the methods have been explained to us and some shown but many of the details of the craftspeople’s work are made from experience and intuition and ingrained in their technique like second nature. We did several trials of materials but again, all the work was very intuitive.
Inspiration: The city of Oaxaca, its beauty, culture, art, and tradition have inspired this lamp. Barro negro (Oaxacan Black clay) is admired throughout the world for its peculiar method of preparing and firing it. We love the richness of its satin-like feel and the small tell-tell signs of the fire marked on its sheen. We have found a local glass blower in the city whose work we love, so we married the two materials, playing with the elements of fire, earth, and air, where both clay and glass are born.
Project Duration: We started drafting for this project in July 2019 in Guadalajara, after a visit to Oaxaca to source another project. There, we visited the community of San Pedro Coyotepec and met the Amando family. We started prototyping in June 2020 and working on the glass dome in June 2020. The design was finished by March 2021
Operation Flow: Barro was conceived as a pendant lamp. The height can be adjusted through the wiring, which is very basic in itself. The glass dome serves both as an encasing for the clay structure as well as a shade to soften the light.
Team Members: Designer: Caterina Moretti.
Image Credits: Image #1: Design by Caterina Moretti for Graypants, Photo: Andrés Alejos.

Image #2: Design by Caterina Moretti for Graypants, Photo: Andrés Alejos.

Image #3: Design by Caterina Moretti for Graypants, Photo: Andrés Alejos.

Image #4: Design by Caterina Moretti for Graypants, Photo: Andrés Alejos.

Image #5: Design by Caterina Moretti for Graypants, Photo: Andrés Alejos.