Barro Oriọna by Caterina Moretti is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha in Nhazi Ngwaahịa Ìhè na Ihe E Kwụnyere Competition Category.

ỌlaọchaÌhè· 2023

Barro Oriọna

by Caterina Moretti

Client: Graypants

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha Winner in Ìhè Category

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Colors

The Design

About Barro Oriọna

Barro Lamp na-ejide ikpo ọkụ nke okike na ngwakọta nke ụrọ na iko. A na-eji ihe abụọ mee oriọna pendant a ebe obodo Mexico bụ Oaxaca bụ isi agwa. Ndị omenkà San Bartolo Coyotepec bụ ndị zụlitere Barro Negro kemgbe oge tupu Colombia; dome iko a fụrụ afụ na-ekpuchi ihe owuwu ụrọ: nchebe ihe atụ na-eche ihe dị oké ọnụ ahịa nche. Barro oriọna dị na nsụgharị abụọ: ụrọ na-acha uhie uhie na ndò transperent na ụrọ ojii nwere ndò isi awọ.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha

Barro Oriọna meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị dị n'ọkwa kachasị elu, mara mma ma na-eju anya. Ndị meriri na Ọlaọcha bụ ọrụ na-egbu maramara nke ukwuu ma dị oke nzụlite nke na-egosi ọmarịcha ihe ọmụma, talent na nghọta nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Barro Oriọna ga-abụ ọrụ dị ịtụnanya, ihe nlereanya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị omimi n'ihe ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha bụ ihe e mepụtara dị oke ịrịba ama, nke a na-eto nke na-erite uru ma na-ebuga oke nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ n'ihu. Barro Oriọna bụ ihe e kere eke ọtụtụ ndị na-ekwo ekworo ya nke na-akpali ọchịchọ, na-eweta mmetụta ọma ma na-akpali ịtụnanya.

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.