Technology in the spotlight, at Euroluce 2023
Davide Groppi at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph. Francesco Merlini
Euroluce 2023 showcased powerful yet sustainable light sources, flexible lighting systems and solutions ready to adapt to multiple spaces and situations. Technological research is clearly shaping light, and designing it to meet the needs and requirements of different home and work environments
Light sources are adapting to increasingly flexible lifestyles and to the widespread need for spaces able to communicate and convey a sense of wellbeing – with people firmly at the center of designers’ work, and many companies eager to leverage the latest technological innovations to create high-performance products. All this and much more was at the core of the 2023 edition of the Euroluce biennial fair, where flexibility and great attention for users and their needs clearly emerged as keywords. The use of sensors able to recognize people’s presence and movements, the ability to connect objects to manage light through voice commands or digital devices, and the ongoing research for sustainable and high-performance materials are only some of the opportunities that innovations in the lighting industry are able to offer at the moment.
Foscarini at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph. Francesco Merlini
Technology for flexibility
Light and technology: an indissoluble match that found new life in the 2023 edition of Euroluce at the Salone del Mobile Milano. This year’s numerous innovations were on display for anyone walking among the booths, in the fair’s renewed exhibition layout, as the earliest results of brands’ stylistic and technological research in the field of lighting. Flexibility seems to be the keyword for designers and companies in this area, as they search for the maximum possible adaptability and use technology to articulate innovation into multiple solutions and options.
Flexibility, this year, translates first of all in designing for wireless applications: lights that can follow us in any corner of the house, go inside or outdoors, independent from sockets and walls altogether.
Tom Dixon at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph. Francesco Merlini
Wand by Martinelli Luce is the new product the historical Italian brand introduced at Euroluce 2023. A minimalist and elegant lamp made with a sheet of transparent methacrylate, folded onto itself to hold up a lamp that appears to be suspended in mid air. The integrated battery and high-performance, low-consumption LED bulb allow Wand to offer full flexibility.
Technological miniaturization instead made it possible for Davide Groppi to present Vis à vis, a wireless lamp that seems completely free from technology. No wires, no bulbs, no bolts or screws: just pure light emitted by a completely transparent and almost invisible object.
The concept of flexibility is also at the heart of Foscarini’s Fleur, with the addition of Rodolfo Dordoni’s touch of poetry. A subdued wireless lamp that is actually a flower vase as well, resulting from extensive technological research aimed at miniaturizing PCB LED boards as much as possible.
The lights in the Portables series presented by Tom Dixon for the eponymous brand are also wireless – and were showcased in the company’s booth by using a robotic arm, to underscore the high technological innovation they represent.
Flos at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph. Francesco Merlini
Flexibility is the main theme also for Flos with Bilboquet by Philippe Malouin, a lamp that leverages the technical possibilities opened up by magnets, allowing for infinite uses and positions.
Suspended from a rail, Liiu by Studio Vantot for Luceplan is a highly flexible system that uses electrified cables to provide maximum flexibility to lightweight lights, which can be moved up and down along parallel rails.
However, flexibility also means lighting devices can adapt to new needs – such as those emerging from the spread of remote working. Enter Martinelli Luce and its Avro: a dimmable, suspension LED light that also features a socket in the center, so other devices can plug in and connect to the grid.
Artemide at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph. Francesco Merlini
Human Centric Lighting
Companies’ technological research also influences the experience designed for users, at home or at work. Borrowing a term from interaction design, “Human Centric Lighting” reflects the will to shape light according to the needs of those who use it, leveraging the positive influences it can have on people.
An easy-to-regulate light that can meet different needs throughout the day is the concept at the heart of Ale.01, one of the new products Artemide showcased this year at Euroluce 2023. Designed by studio Hassell, Ale.01 combines two different lights which can be managed separately, with a design hinged on the patented Refractive optical technology: a lens collects 100% of the light flow and emits an ideal light for workspaces. With an eye to sustainability, technology also allows users to control light to perfection, and the manufacturer to create an enclosure made of recycled and recyclable materials.
With Gavin Silence Leaf, Olev brings nature directly inside the home – by pairing an LED ring with real leaves, which have undergone a stabilization treatment to keep them unchanged over time. The leaves are integrated in a “sandwich” of porous materials, to create a sound-absorbing solution based on the properties of its natural substrate.
In-depth research for cutting-edge technologies has even allowed Ledvance to bring the power and benefits of sunlight inside the home: Sun@home reproduces the Sun’s spectrum, which supports people’s natural circadian rhythm, and can be controlled remotely using apps or voice commands.
Finally, also Vimar’s booth and products reflect strong care for users and their experience: this year, the brand integrated into its products the potential of Internet connectivity and the option to enter voice commands directly in the electric system.
