Beauty lies not in objects, but in the interaction between the shadow and light created by objects. Junichiro Tanizaki, ‘In Praise of Shadows’
"When you see them, you can’t help feeling moved; when you understand them, you are full of wonder seeing a future we thought unreachable and couldn’t imagine this beautiful”. Ernesto Gismondi introduces IN-EI ISSEY MIYAKE’s lighting, as conceived by Issey Miyake and his Reality Lab., and brought to life by Artemide.
“IN-EI” – Japanese for “shadow, shadiness, nuance”. The art of lighting has a conceptual and technological heritage at the Miyake Design Studio, dating back to 2010, when Issey Miyake and his research and development team called Reality Lab., presented "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE". This new process was developed using a mathematical program with 3- D geometric principals by Jun Mitani. 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE is an extremely ingenious way by which to make clothing, and a process that provides yet another example of directions the quest for innovative textiles technologies can take. The project comes from the intersection of creativity and mathematics, resulting in clothing that can be folded flat and become 3D shapes, starting from a single piece of cloth. As the Reality Lab. explored “132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE”’s potential in areas beyond clothing, a natural extension of the process was lighting products. IN-EI ISSEY MIYAKE was born from a collaboration with Artemide marrying their lighting expertise with the Lab.’s innovative approach to the material and design.
"I am extremely proud of this collaboration”, Ernesto Gismondi explains; "Issey Miyake devotes his extraordinary artistic commitment to a quest dedicated to men’s needs and existence. The same commitment you can see in The Human Light, Artemide’s mission and philosophy. We share Miyake’s values and visions".
Such similarities of vision come from shared core values behind both Artemide’s and Reality Lab.’s research. The project revolves around a fabric derived from entirely recycled materials, diffusing light in extremely interesting ways; it is a re-treated fibre made using PET bottles. The bottles are processed using an innovative technology that reduces both energy consumption and CO2 emissions up to 40% when compared to the production of new materials. Issey Miyake’s artistic vision, applied to the new 3D mathematical process, combines the Japanese tradition of light with Miyake’s unique ability to translate tradition into modernity. Artemide animates these sustainable and striking shapes using LED lighting, today’s most relevant sustainable technology.
The IN-EI ISSEY MIYAKE lighting collection was co-developed and manufactured by Artemide. It is a collection of free-standing, table and hanging lights. Each lampshade is created using 2 or 3D mathematic principals, where light and shade harmoniously alternate. Miyake’s unique folding technology creates both statuesque forms as well as sufficient solidity. The structure of the recycled material, together with an additional surface treatment allows these shades to perfectly keep their shape without the need for internal frame, and to be re-shaped when needed. They can be easily stored flat when not in use.
The innovative meaning of the “132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE” project lies in its numbers; 1 refers to the one-piece fabric used for each product; 2 comes from the 2D initial folding process; 3 refers to 3D; 5, preceded by an empty space, refers to the metamorphosis turning folded shapes into clothing or objects. Five also is an auspicious number, and represents the desire for the clothing or objects to continue to assume new dimensions in the future.
