Starting with his first lamp in the mid-1960s, a Pop art–inspired light bulb within a bigger light bulb, Maurer liberated the concept of a lighting fixture, allowing designers to bring their poetic and humorous selves when working with illumination. With Zettel’z—Zettel’z—Zettel in German means a small piece of paper for writing on—he invites the owner to become part of the design process. Its shade consists of eighty Japanese rice paper sheets with inscriptions, poems, love letters, and sketches, as well as forty-nine blank pages for the owner to fill in as they see fit. The sheets are clipped to narrow stainless steel rods, which are set in a perforated cylinder. The effect is a fluttering cloud that crowns the light source. Direct or diffused light is emitted depending on how the rods are arranged.
Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, January 26, 2025–November 15, 2025
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