16A is the newest addition to the Vitra Akari lighting collection, conceptualised by Isamu Noguchi in 1951. The lamps are handcrafted from Japanese Washi paper, derived from the inner bark of the Mulberry tree. Once dried, this produces an extremely light yet versatile and flexible form that can be manipulated to the designer’s desires, here being moulded into an asymmetrical spherical suspension lamp. Each Akari light’s authenticity is guaranteed by the marking of a stylised sun and moon logo, designed to resemble the corresponding Japanese characters.
Perfect for a variety of different environments, the 16A suspension light is a versatile yet iconic design that will illuminate your chosen space for years to come.
Isamu Noguchi was an American-Japanese designer who originally trained as a sculptor and brought a sculptural sensibility to everything he created: lighting, furniture, gardens and stage sets. He studied sculpture, after dropping out of medical school, in late 1920s New York and then in Paris as an assistant to Constantin Brancusi.
Noguchi designed a range of paper Akari lights throughout the 1950s and 1960s, alongside the popular organic furniture he made in curvy sculpted wood now part of the Vitra Collection, such as the Freeform Sofa and Coffee Table. He was equally prolific as a landscape architect; he recreated the ancient Buddhist stone gardens he had loved in Kyoto at Lever House in New York (1951), UNESCO in Paris (1951), the Yale campus (1960) and Jerusalem’s Israel Museum (1960).
