london design festival: pietre di monitillo collection includes antumbra lamp by magnus long

monitillo marmi has enriched its ‘pietre di monitillo’ collection with new objects that are presented during the london design festival. the idea that had led to the creation of the collection sparked a dialogue between the marble and stone craftsmanship of the company and the vision of the designers, who have been selected for their capacity to make stone ‘live’ through unique products. with this new edition, pietre di monitillo goes beyond the framework of furniture to investigate another interesting area: lighting.

opaque polished black marquina marble is used at the front, white carrara marble is used at the back

the london-based magnus long, of the magnus long design studio, has created the ‘antumbra’ marble lamp that creates a glow diffused light, and which reminds of an annular eclipse both for its shape and its lighting. the designer played with materials and contrasts and lines wisely shaped. opaque polished black marquina marble is used at the front, where the LED light is, whereas the bigger slab in white carrara marble is used at the back to reflect and diffuse light. there are two versions of the ‘antumbra’: one with a switch, and another with a dimmer.

magnus long offering his design expertise to montillo marmi’s craftsmen 

with the dimming model, all you have to do to increase or decrease the light of lamp is ‘caress’ the stone. the lamp has neither a switch nor a visible dimmer: an idea of monitillo marmi, developed and engineered by zoe3 design, to intensify users’ experience. the stone itself is the channel to set the intensity of the light, the lamp is not only there to be watched but also to be touched. a soft touch turns on and off the lamp, a longer touch alters the light intensity. 

the ‘antumbra’ provides a premium tactile experience, light intensity can be altered by simply ‘caressing’ the stone

‘consisting of two shaped slabs of marble standing in parallel together, light from an internal light source is reflected off of the larger back marble stone creating a glowing diffused light which can be dimmed or increased by touching and holding the marble,’ comments magnus long. he continues, ‘because the front marble slab occludes the light source, an effect similar to an annular eclipse is seen from the front, specifically from within the area known as the antumbra (before shadow) where the front opaque object appears completely in silhouette with a halo of light surrounding it. opaque polished black marquina marble is used at the front to occlude light and matt-finished, white carrara marble is used at the back to reflect and diffuse light. when the lamp is turned off the object reverts to a simple, pure composition of standing stones in black and white marble.’

two marble forms standing in parallel together

the antumbra (derived from latin ante, ‘before’) is the region from which the occluding body appears entirely contained within the disc of the light source. the stone itself is the channel to set the intensity of the light, the lamp is not only there to be watched but also to be touched: a soft touch turns on and off the lamp, a longer touch alters the light intensity. ‘antumbra’ can be used in a variety of ways, it can be placed on top or on the floor, in a reading corner or on a night table. it can enrich space as an object-sculpture.

the sculpural lamp can be viewed at the LDF 2016 ‘superbrands tent’ and will be available to buy subsequently in the designboom shop. of the ‘pietre di monitillo’ collection the ‘ovo iPhone marble amplifier shaped from carrera stone’; ‘egnazia low marble tables’; and ‘veneri marble serving dish’ are all currently available to buy. 

about monitillo marmi
founded in the city of altamura in apulia, italy, in 1980: in his handicraft factory, artisan francesco monitillo engages in the processing of marble, granite, and various kinds of stones, having already spent 19 years in the other laboratories of his city. before long, he became known for the excellence in craftsmanship of its products and his the ability to interpret to perfection the characteristics of each stone. the growth of the company led an to investment in expert staff and high-tech machinery, increasing the bespoke quality of its processes. today, the company is involved in numerous works on architectural construction sites and the homes of private clients. to international architects monitillo marmi is able to offer a collaboration model based on careful observation of detail and the development of personalized solutions.