Comprised of a complex combination of a bamboo skeleton and washi paper covering, the Vitra Akari 23A Suspension Light takes inspiration from the rich heritage of Japanese paper lantern culture. Isamu Noguchi was drawn to the Japanese province of Gifu for the production of the Vitra Akari 23A Suspension Light, with the area synonymous with the traditional manufacture of the paper lantern.
At 70cm tall, the 23A stands as one of the tallest pendant-style light fittings in the whole Akari range, and is certain to make an impressive addition to whichever space is bestowed upon with its presence.
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).
