Gold Lighting Products and Fixtures Design · 2021
Cling Floor Lamp
by Dabi Robert
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Lighting Products and Fixtures Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Robert Dabi Graphic and Product Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 55,040
- Verification code B0572B19EE · Verify this award
About Cling Floor Lamp
Cling is a floor lamp by Robert Dabi. Emerging from the floor plate, the pole seamlessly wraps around a spotless LED ring made of a slim aluminium profile in a diameter of 55 cm. Within the area between pole and the frame holding the light ring, a flexible section is incorporated. This makes it possible to freely move or tilt the ring and thereby adapt the appearance of the lamp to its' surrounding. Robert constructed the lamp with stability in mind – heavy lower steel parts and top aluminium parts sum up to only 2,5 kg of weight.
Cling Floor Lamp by Dabi Robert exemplifies the contemporary convergence of sculptural expression and functional illumination that has come to define the most accomplished lighting design of recent decades. Emerging from a design philosophy that treats light itself as primary material rather than mere byproduct, this work demonstrates how the reduction of formal elements to their essential geometry can paradoxically expand expressive possibility. The continuous tubular frame describes a journey from vertical stability through graceful transition into the tilted elliptical ring, suggesting the designer's engagement with themes of transformation and flow that have occupied artistic imagination across centuries. Technical achievement manifests in the seamless integration of LED technology within the slender ring profile, allowing the structural frame to serve simultaneously as both armature and luminary without visible hardware interruption. The tilted orientation of the illuminated ring invites consideration of how light interacts with architectural surfaces, casting soft gradients that activate wall planes as secondary compositional elements. Within the broader context of object design history, this work participates in ongoing conversations about the dematerialization of functional objects, where physical presence becomes increasingly ethereal through the strategic deployment of illumination. The warm color temperature of the emitted light creates intimate atmospheric conditions suited to contemplative domestic spaces, while the sculptural presence commands attention even when unilluminated. One might observe affinities with the poetic minimalism that has characterized distinguished lighting design houses, yet the particular synthesis of biomorphic curve and geometric ring suggests an individual voice within established traditions. Viewers are invited to consider how the simple act of bending a line might transform utilitarian necessity into meditative presence.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Cling is a minimal and flexible floor lamp. The steel pole smoothly transitions from bottom plate into a bent frame that holds a big but very thin & light spotless LED ring. The unique feature is a flexible section between frame and pole, which allows the ring to be moved into any position. Thereby the appearance of the lamp can be changed and adapted to its' surrounding. It is constructed with stability in mind: heavy lower steel parts and top aluminium parts sum up to about 2,5 kg of weight.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Light source: LED, spotless, 3000K, 1500 lumen, 15 W
Height: 1300 - 2000 mm
Base: diameter 250 mm, steel
Pole: diameter 13 mm, steel / aluminium
Ring: diameter 550 mm, aluminum, thickness 6 x 6 mm
Joint: Gooseneck, brass, nylon fabric surface
Cover: milky polycarbonate
Cable: with PET sleeve
Color: matte black
Weight: 2500 g - Tags
- light, ring, cling, floor, lamp, lighting
- Production Technology
- Being in a prototype stage, this lamp is manufactured in my studio. It is constructed with stability in mind: lower parts are made of heavy steel, top parts are made of aluminium. This allows it to be stable at all positions and while only weighing about 2,5 kg. To make sure that the transition between the vertical pole and and the ring is smooth and without a change of diameter, the flexible part is constructed using a gooseneck layered with silicon and black woven nylon. For transportability, the pole can be disassembled at the center position, as well as at the floor base.
- Design Challenge
- I've been researching, designing & prototyping lighting objects for the past 3 years now, just because I became very enthusiastic about this subject. To me, lighting isn't something that is just there. I want to use it, alter it, observe it, interact with it. That's why I intuitively always try to design lighting objects that are not only interesting to look at, but also make you want to play with them. The biggest technical challenge with this lamp was to create a smooth flexible transition between pole and ring frame.
- Project Duration
- This project is part of a series of lighting objects, Poise (platinum award winner) being one of them. Completing this particular lamp took about 4 months.
- Operation Flow
- The light ring of the floor lamp is approximately located in grip height of a standing person. It can be grabbed at the area of the frame and moved freely. The ring can be tilted perpendicular or horizontal to the floor. From a visual impression, it can look like the ring is being catched, dropped or flinged, depending on which direction it leans to. The involvement of a wall also comes into consideration, as it can be placed parallel or touching it. Each position creates another light appearance.
- Research
- I noticed that the perception of a lamp is very different when the light source itself, as in single LEDs or light bulbs, are visible to the naked eye. For example, one common trend was to use naked bulbs in lamps. A relatively small light source results in hard shadows and glaring. I think many people don't deliberately notice how uncomfortable a light source can be. A visible source can easily result in glaring, at the same time a diffuse light can look inconsiderable. That's why I tried to find ways of "showing but not showing" the direct source of light.
In the preceding 2-3 years before designing Cling, I've spent a lot of time researching and testing methods of converting arrays of single LEDs into thin lines using lenticular or micro prism filters. At the same time, I tried to find the best way of incorporating very thin but completely spotless lines of LED light into lamp designs. - Inspiration
- My lamp concepts involve a certain amount of interaction in order to modify the way light is perceived. This should encourage curiosity and human interaction with the light source, instead of just putting it somewhere to rest. I strive for a deeper relationship to the interior product.
- Image Credits
- Robert Dabi