Dezeen Magazine

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Milan 2013: designer Daniel Rybakken will launch a table lamp that dims as it's pushed down a thin vertical stand at Euroluce in Milan this week. 

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

The intensity of the light alters as the position of the aluminium head is adjusted, dimming and eventually turning off as it reaches the table.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

The ability to change the shade's position also enables the user to choose how far the light spreads.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

The product for Luceplan is called Ascent and comes in two versions: one with an anchor bolt, the other with a base.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Daniel Rybakken used the same head as on Counterbalance, a wall-mounted lamp he created for the same brand last year.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Ascent will be presented at Euroluce in Milan from 9 to 14 April. Other lighting designs to be launched in Milan include a folding table lamp by Nika Zupanc and the glass 57 Series by Omer Arbel.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Other lighting projects by Rybakken include A lamp that filters light through layers of coloured screens and a series of LED panels that replicate daylight on a dark staircase in Stockholm.

Ascent lamp by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Here's some more information from the designer:


Ascent uses the same archetypical head found on Counterbalance (Luceplan 2012), mounted on a slender vertical stem. By moving the head along the stem, the light intensity goes from being turned off at the bottom position, to gradually ascending to the full light output at the top. This gives the user control over not only the light intensity, but also the spread of the light.

The visual elements of Ascent are all recognizable, from the classic head to the round stem, but it is the way you use Ascent that makes it different from existing lights. The gesture of sliding the head upwards for more light and down for less is a conceptual idea, but at the same time an action that feels natural.

Ascent comes in two versions, with an anchor bolt for tables, or with a base. The anchor bolt is made impact resistant by having a co-molding of steel and rubber in the base, allowing up to 15 degree of tilt of the stem. As to protecting the inner mechanics and electronics the head is made to rotate freely. These measures make Ascent suitable for larger public spaces as well as for domestic use.

Head in aluminium, stem in technopolymer, 10W LED - 2700K light source.