The Venice Lamp
a modular lamp inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, home, and the bridges of Venice
Marco Polo describes a bridge, stone by stone.
“But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” Kublai Khan asks.
“The bridge is not supported by one stone or another,” Marco answers,” but by the line of the arch that they form.”
Kublai Khan remains silent, reflecting. Then, he adds: “Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me.”
Polo answers: Without stones there is no arch.”
-Invisible cities by Italo Calvino
A driving factor behind the design of the Venice Lamp was the challenge of construction using only found materials, including cork, acrylic, LED light strips, and wood.
The total material cost for this lamp was $6 on PLA filament for the arch support structure and light channel
In Invisible Cities, Marco Polo describes his travels through the cities of Kublai Khan’s vast empire, explaining how each city contains multidudes, and can be seen and understood in many ways. Later in the novel, Marco Polo explains that despite describing hundreds of cities, he had only been talking about Venice, his home, all along.
As somebody with a strong love and attachment for my home, this resonated with me: you see the places you love within every new space, and always carry them with you.
When I think of home, I think of the strong community and support system that I come from. I also think of the way that my community fosters strong connections like those necessary in building bridges (both physical and figurative)
Studio 2 S25/ Luminaire/ 6 weeks