Ingo Maurer

Porca Miseria! Chandelier

1994

Metal and porcelain

Not on view

The Porca Miseria! Chandelier is both a revolt against the slickness of contemporary design and Maurer’s celebration of cinematic slow-motion explosions, like those seen in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Zabriskie Point (1970). The production of this piece is limited to just ten a year, as the construction of each lamp requires the effort of four people. The builders break plates with a hammer or simply drop them on the floor. The pieces, broken arbitrarily, determine the arrangement of the final design.

Gallery label from

Rough Cut: Design Takes a Sharp Edge, November 26, 2008–October 12, 2009.

Manufacturer Ingo Maurer GmbH, Germany
Medium Metal and porcelain
Dimensions 59 x 43 1/4" (149.9 x 109.9 cm)
Credit Gift of the Architecture and Design Committee in honor of Mary Bright
Object number 116.2003
Department Architecture & Design

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