27/05/2021 - Ambientec reissues Samba-M lamp, Shiro Kuramata’s glass goblet full of light. A special project to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Shiro Kuramata’s death entrusted to Ambientec by the prestigious Gallery Tamura Joe, under the supervision of the Kuramata Design Office.
Shiro Kuramata was one of the most important designers of the 20th century. His work was strongly influenced by surrealism and contemporary art, full of a free-spirited playfulness that stands in stark contrast to the efficiency-focused, market-oriented mainstream design of today. Drawing inspiration for a lamp from a common wine glass, an ordinary object found in every home, was a challenge.
The story of SAMBA-M illustrates how it cannot be reduced to a mere tool for illuminating the darkness, and is instead a true objet d’art. The original idea for the piece came in 1988, at the vernissage of the exhibition “In-Spiration”, when Kuramata surprised the guests (including Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid, both still unknown) by putting a bright red light in his glass of champagne. A playful gesture, but far from a simple joke: what Kuramata wanted to convey was the appeal of a design that existed in the space between products and artistic vision.
When SAMBA-M was first introduced in 1988, it was very difficult and expensive to produce, and only a small number were made available to the public.
Today, Ambientec brings this whimsical piece back to life, ready to be touched, used and enjoyed: a goblet made of thin and double-layered glass and integrated with advanced LED technology. It lights up in shades of red at the softest touch, evoking the iridescent tones of the wine the Maestro raised in a toast to the vernissage forty years ago.
Today, Ambientec brings this whimsical piece back to life, ready to be touched, used and enjoyed: a goblet made of thin and double-layered glass and integrated with advanced LED technology. It lights up in shades of red at the softest touch, evoking the iridescent tones of the wine the Maestro raised in a toast to the vernissage forty years ago.
Like all Ambientec portable lamps, the Samba-M reissue is waterproof, rechargeable and powered by a long-lasting lithium-ion battery.
“We are delighted by this opportunity to revive the Samba-M. We have dedicated all of our signature technological expertise to this reissue, and the project demanded a great deal of responsibility on our part. The challenge was to preserve and communicate Shiro Kuramata’s original stroke of genius. I have a great admiration for the way he was able to break out of the mainstream with his often provocative and ironic designs, his ability to create shifts in meaning, and the poetic resonance he could draw out of everyday objects and their functions,” says Yoshinori Kuno, Ambientec’s visionary founder and CEO.
Ambientec’s lamps are “nomadic objects,” essential and poetic forms integrated with exclusive LED technology. Each product draws on Yoshinori Kuno’s extensive experience in the field of professional lighting for underwater photography, designed to illuminate the darkest depths of the ocean, bringing that technical expertise into the world of design.
Ambientec has developed a new edition of the lamp as a work of functional art, something to build a personal and sentimental relationship with. And perhaps no piece reflects that philosophy better than Samba-M, the ideal example of Shiro Kuramata’s irreverent, touching design.
Ambientec will present Samba-M along with its new collection at the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, September 5-10, 2021.
Ambientec on ARCHIPRODUCTS
