Barro 燈 by Caterina Moretti is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 照明產品及燈具設計 Competition Category.

銀照明· 2023

Barro 燈

by Caterina Moretti

Client: Graypants

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 照明 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Barro 燈

Barro Lamp 以黏土和玻璃的組合捕捉大自然的溫暖。這款吊燈由兩種元素組成，其中墨西哥城市瓦哈卡是主角。由 San Bartolo Coyotepec 工匠鑄造，他們自前哥倫布時代以來就精通 Barro Negro；吹製玻璃圓頂覆蓋了黏土結構：象徵性地保護珍貴的物品。 Barro 燈有兩種版本：紅色黏土和透明燈罩以及黑色黏土和灰色燈罩。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Barro 燈是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Barro 燈將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Barro 燈是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

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.