LZF Lamps, the Spanish company specializing in wood veneer lighting, presented its new Life-Size Ltd Edition Collection at Euroluce in Milan, from 14th to 19th April. This collection of sculptural pieces is born out of the desire of LZF Lamps’ founders, Mariví Calvo and Sandro Tothill, to collaborate and innovate via daring projects with artists and craftsmen of different disciplines.

The story of the Life-Size Collection started a few years ago when Mariví and Sandro had been studying a new way of diffusing light through the use of overlapping rectangular squares of wood veneer. They then put on a show using illuminated walls made up of over 4000 pieces of wood. The effect of these walls reminded them of the scales of a fish, hence the dubbing of this effect “Koi Fabric. Later in New York, in collaboration with Inocuo, a Motion Graphics film recreated a three-dimensional Koi inspired by the translucent scale fabric with which Mariví and her team at LZF were working on.

As stated by the creative team at LZF Lamps: “after dozens of sketches, Koi began taking on a recognizable shape. At the film presentation at Euroluce in Milan in 2011, we fell in love with the character created by Inocuo, so the next phase was inevitable: we had to try to recreate the Koi character from the film short into something tangible, a real life size illuminated light fixture that defied gravity”.

Five years later, LZF presents the result of comprehensive technical work, shared by a variety of artists and craftspeople, who have worked hand in hand to show a new perspective through this singular piece, bordering on the limit between art and design. Hence the creation of KOI, the first piece of the Life-Size collection. An innovative collection consisting of unique statue figures.

LZF Lamps participated in Euroluce Milan where an amazing stage was set to introduce KOI, along with some of the more classic products such as the Link Chain (based on the Möbius strip). For this, different colour temperatures were used to recreate dispersion of light resembling rays shining through to the ocean floor.  Mariví Calvo: “We wanted to invite people to live a unique experience; to feel our product in a special way, in a space intended to simulate the bottom of the sea. Here, our star product KOI, the fish, can swim freely just like in its natural habitat.” There was also a cozy, quieter area, away from the hustle and bustle of the fair to chat and watch the show staged by KOI in his marine environment.

Design: LZF Lamps / Design Stand & Art Director: Mariví Calvo / Project Coordination: Sandro Tothil
Art direction photography: Masquespacio
Photographer: Cualiti
Design Koi by Inocuo.The Sign & LZF LAB
Design Elephant & Fish by Isidro Ferrer & LZF LAB

About LZF LAMPS
Twenty years ago, while thinking about the design of a lamp for their home, Mariví Calvo and Sandro Tothill had the wonderful idea to work with a material which acts as a magnificent light diffuser. This material is wood veneer. Other lamps had been made with wood before, but LZF Lamps is the first specialised company which production is based entirely on wood veneer. In fact, wood veneer is so important to LZF, that they patented their own ecological treatment for this natural resource, enabling them to create all sorts of shapes with it. The name of the treated veneer is Timberlite®, a spectacular way to see the light through wood. LZF Lamps carefully selects the wood veneers to obtain the best effects provided by the light shining through the wood. All their veneer panels are certified by the FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council.Few things are as beautiful as the effect of light diffused through these selected wood veneers. No other treatment gives the wood the strength and body required to adopt any shape while keeping the subtlety and natural delicacy this material conveys when it is lit.