Milan 2011: users can pin their own paper shades onto this cork light fitting by London design studio Raw Edges for Portugese brand Materia.

The light fitting, called Pinha, features a three tiered cork base which paper shades can be pinned to.

The tiered system allows for control of the direction and range of light.

The piece remains on show at Spazio San Marco, Via San Marco 38, Brera, Milano until 17 April. See all our stories from Milan 2011 »

See all our stories on Raw Edges »

See all our stories on Materia »

The following is from the designers:

Pinha

Pinha proposes a playful approach to lighting through personalization.

This hanging lamp consists of a cork outer fixture to which a printed-paper shade is fastened. You have the last word on how Pinha looks, by choosing the shade from among different patterns and drawings. Function-wise, you can also decide on the direction and range of the light, according to where the shade is pinned.

Cork’s low thermal and electrical conductivity ensures that you can handle the lamps shell in perfect safety. Making things even more interesting is the fact that the shade and its placement can be changed at will, according to your mood, the task you are performing or the ambiance you want to set.

Materia Amorim

Cork is nature’s own high-tech achievement. Down to the cell structure, its unique composition and characteristics cannot be replicated by anything man-made. Extracted from the bark of the cork oak – a native specimen of the Western Mediterranean basin – cork is a state-of-the-art raw material, requiring minimum transformation or processing before use.

Reusable and completely biodegradable, it is one of the most versatile and sustainable materials in the world  - environmentally, socially and economically.

Impermeable to liquids and gases, elastic, compressible, highly resistant yet light and buoyant, cork’s potential as a leading material for the 21st is only now being realized, with cutting edge R&D pushing the boundaries of invention.

Spearheading this drive for innovation is the Portuguese company Amorim, world leader in the cork industry. In addition to high-performance applications for the aeronautical, construction and wine-producing industries Amorim is now looking to make cork center stage into the everyday. Fusing the material’s unique sensory qualities and personality with a designer’s flair, Materia is a collection of objects that work well and feel good in contemporary homes and lifestyles.

Lighthearted and lightweight, relevant yet unassuming, easy going and tactile, these objects will integrate seamlessly into your daily life and habitat, as natural, refreshingly uncomplicated and witty answers to simple, universal needs.

They fit neatly into a little vacant spot in your life, left there by an action waiting to happen, a purpose about to be fulfilled.  User and function-wise intuitive, they will find their way into your home and office, the predictable and the unexpected of everyday.

Base for a Lamp Shade
Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay, Raw Edges, for Materia 2011
Cork composite fixture, electrical components, paper lampshade,

Materia
13-17 April, 10.00am – 8.00pm
Spazio San Marco
Via San Marco 38
Brera – Milano

See also:

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