21 January 2015

Rather than a simple lamp, Amuleto recalls a luminous sign that guides us through the landscape of the home. Its form resembles a traffic signal: two rings linked by slender arms, which also have a circular cross-section, and set on a flattened conical base. The uniformity of the circle as a generating form is sometimes underlined or contradicted by monochrome or polychrome variants. A way of reconsidering the classic table lamp for work, study and reading, setting aside the overly technical language of metal and espousing the more festive dimension of plastic without sacrificing technological performance. Indeed, from this point of view the lamp designed by Alessandro Mendini and made by Ramun has much to boast of: the ring of the light source is of minimal thickness thanks to the use of LEDs, chosen to limit the production of harmful emissions and reduce reflections, as well as to avoid the danger of overheating and consequent burns. Amuleto was conceived by the designer for his grandson, as an object able to unite the evocative power of the magic circle with the maximum of safety. The result has been to bestow the spirit of a lucky charm on a high-tech device, humanizing one of the silent protagonists of the spaces we live in, as Mendini has always liked to do.