Ingo Maurer Born 1932 on the Island of Reichenau, Lake Constance, Germany. Training as typographer in Germany and in Switzerland. Studies in graphic design from 1954 to 1958.
1960 emigration to USA. Working as a freelance designer in New York and San Francisco. 1963 return to Europe.
Settling in Munich. 1966 start of "Design M". First lamp: Bulb. Several design awards. Lamps in collections of different museums. Bulb, Gulp (1969), Light Structure (1970 as co-designer), Little Black Nothing and YaYaHo (1988), Los Minimalos Dos, Lucellino Wall, Wo bist Du, Edison...?, Zettel'z (1999), Porca Miseria! (2003) are included in the Design Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Ingo Maurer in depth:
Hardly any contemporary designer has the element of provocative humor made so convincingly a part of his working methods, such as Ingo Maurer.
Its potential in dealing with free forms and symbols, the selection of materials and innovative approach to the theme lamps have not selected a work that is internationally received with admiration.
More than three decades are evidence of the obsessive devotion to the light. This is the distinctive claim mason in space, the idea of the creative impulse and the playful element of his lamps are in the foreground.
As early as 1966 with its first emergence of lights, the beginning of the "Bulb Series" is suddenly Maurer known.In addition to table lamps "Bulb" and "Bulb Clear" is created around the floor lamp "Giant Bulb Opal".The design rationale of all these lights is the same: The lights themselves are executed in the form of oversized light bulbs.The interplay between form and function, between the lamp and the bulb itself, is created with a philosophical calculus.The trick of making ironic that the design theme of the light bulb itself, proves to be a clear statement within the meaning of pop art.
Mason had raised the daily value of the bulb to another level by pointing through the form on the nature of light and energy itself.In the detailed consideration of the extensive artwork mason, is the game with the abundance of variation of the bulb again and again.
Thus, designs such as "Pollux" (1967) and in 1969 designed lamp "No Fuss" difficult to surpass in its lightness, combined with other variations such as "Thomas Alva Edison" in 1979, Maurer manages a tribute to the show without false pathos.
Humorous engagement in life
A passage from a short essay, Mason "Edisons Nightmare" is revealing both for Maurer humor as well as the often random ideas of his subjects light: "... even in a time where there are dimmer. A beautiful lingerie on a lamp in a certainsituation hard to beat. So, it was perhaps: a cotton underpants of Brooks Brothers was the first lampshade! "
Maurer is in Haiti, during a New Year trip back 1980, on the same proven mechanism of random inspiration.Here it is the street "- simple, taut wires from house to house the power led, the lamps are soldered directly onto the wire with no text.The barren, on limited resources most necessary for the facility served as an idea, introduced in 1984 YaYaHo system.There are 276 parts including ceramic, glass, metal, porcelain and plastic, which account for the variable system.
With YaYaHo Maurer managed a liberation from the constraints of conventional light guides.The leading idea, open Stromlitzen across the room, was the discussion and development of low voltage systems in the early 80s advanced substantially.The reduction of the voltages to 12 volts, finally took the risk of energy and was also an exemption in respect to the variability and aesthetics of the system.
Maurer hybrid moves between fronts.As a lighting system, it is within the meaning of the word, an installation, a production of space in which reflects the ingenuity of the user, as well as his personal handling of the light.In some ways YaYaHo has taken the habit of 'cool' from the street and introduced as the new standard.With YaYaHo Maurer and his team have been an unequivocal contribution to culture is the light of the 20thCentury success.
Indeed, the development YaYaHo for the lighting design, a revolutionary turning point.Never before has the language of a lighting system was international, the number of plagiarism ever larger.The universality of YaYaHo ultimately represented also the important step in the work of masonry, from solitary filament to the system of thought of the light kit.
Not a few of the lamps by Ingo Maurer are downright radical presence.When formulated in a 1992-designed light explosive Still divergent kitchen utensils.Already in the title of the lamp "porca miseria" joins the "joke", revealed the ironic attitude open.Against the misery of styled kitchen ambience Maurer is the chaos of a universal energy, the order changes every split second.A world that is out of joint.
The opulent designs of his sometimes Lichtpoesien Maurer is sometimes contrary constructions, which are superior in conceptual sobriety barely.One of Maurer and Peter Hamburger, designed in four versions, Light Structure 'shows designated light of it.Undoubtedly inspired by Buckminster Fuller, Maurer converts here in the cool shape of the geometric structure in a warm, glowing object, an optical illusion between form and function.
Asian impetus MaMo Nouchies
Again and again we meet with Asian influences.That may be dealing with a bricklayer obvious fragility of Asian materials, but also with this gossamer transparency have already refers to the Isamu Noguchi in the variety of its sculptural lamps.She closes the ambiguity of the one found in "Akari" find that Japanese word means the same time, light and easy, and the Noguchi used as a collective term for his paper lamps.
Is traversed in the same way as Maurer's creative work by a whole armada of poetic and humorous lamp designs, but will also contribute to the awareness that draws from the builder to concentrate on his silent, sometimes meditative design approaches.
Already in 1973 he designed the "Uchiwas" a group of lamps made of bamboo and rice paper, whose basic form of a fan.This rather conventional design Maurer opens the American continent.At the same time gaining work with Asian forms and materials to outline.Maurer's associations are many and varied designs such as Ching, frosted glass filament in the form of Chinese ceramics belong to the canon, but also lamps, in which Mason relies completely upon the aesthetic play of the Japanese paper material, such as "Lampampe" from the early 80s.In the creases of the paper we find the uniqueness of each lamp enrolled.
Again and again he takes the theme "Light and paper on" and it leads to new variations.Even the many critics erroneously attributed to Man Ray's "Lampshade" recycled "Willydilly" In your base a design that both the impressive simplicity of the idea is to show, - the volume of light through a single, simple handle change,as well as the amazing beauty of geometric Dreidimentionalität In the field leads.
Maurer's use of the document itself is significantly influenced by the fascination of the topic.In his last lights Maurer is again seeking the versatility of the paper.They are also as profound homage to Isamu Noguchi and his Akari light sculptures.Although the proximity to the point of Noguchi's design is striking, falling material and volume of the lights in a different category.
The designs Maurer and his colleague Dagmar Mombach (MaMo Nouchies) move at a density of the paper, which are reminiscent of elegant Plisseestoffe Fortunys or fragile constructs Isse Miyake's clothes.Maurer and Mombach stretch the concept of form: based on Arab, African and Asian influences, which incorporate the warm character.One can ascribe the nature of MaMo Nouchies a dynamic that sometimes one uncontrolled, which comes in the powerful folding the paper to express itself from the meditative, the shape variations lsamu Noguchi away.But here we find the innovation, the learning of Noguchi, that translates into astonishingly beautiful lights.
Provocative creatures
Some idea of the comedy-like ease some lighting is already reflected in the different appellations itself.Again, from bricklayers signaling effect: The reservoir of poetic wordplay, which docked Maurer more than thirty years ago to draw attention to the individual design of its lights, is now tapped by many. Often the idea mason in a single detail is present!Maurer's lamp "Don Quixote" is an example of this approach.The gaunt figure of the light is dominated by a light screen, which makes the literary figure in the nucleus.Bending, tilt, rotate, and stretch - the movement functions of the light, let the character in new situations is always advised.Equally animated shows "Bibibibi" a table lamp from 1982.Maurer's "bird" seems to be borrowed from the aerial inventory of Miró picture and is in its legislative history exemplifies the unpredictability of the design process: Initially, Mason wanted to decorate his car for a wedding visit.In search of plastic storks, he met with Woolworth's only a couple stork legs - already sold-out remains of the storks.The stork legs served as the basis for that fabulous, made of metal, porcelain and plastic composite bird creature that takes in all respects mason manuscript.
Clearly the employment is likely to lead mason with Gino Sarfatti an extraordinary light.In "Birds Birds Birds" reflects the continuation of an idea presented to the Sarfatti in 1958 the foundation stone.Maurer moved the stern chaos of Sarfattis chandelier in a separate object.Two dozen low voltage lamps, which are provided with wings made of pigeon feathers, result in the almost surreal visual effect of a scatter Vogelpulks.
In "One From The Heart", we find a prime example of the idea generation and realization bricklayer.In title and the object is found the idea both compressed.It Maurer benefited from its ability to find symbols for his subjects.More than a few critics, especially in terms of Maurer's design creations as "BIBIBI" or "One From The Heart" design platitude have attested. That the direct symbolic language of his properties while inherent in a completely independent, innovative, quality is overlooked too often.The design of the lamp with the fragile plastic heart is based on a concise symbolic language, as they are not from the Disney studios could have been better staged. It is no exaggeration to talk about it, that light plays a variety of Maurer's impulses proceed.The notion of indifference, has shunned Maurer with calculus.The successful and humorous game with the provocative light creatures mason, is always a game available for the insights about the nature and effect of things on the profit plan.
