The Gun lighting series, which was designed by Philippe Starck for the Italian manufacturer Flos in 2005, is unusual, provocative, sociocritical and political.
"Complete republics are going mad. Tyrants are our masters. Designed, manufactured, sold, dreamed of, bought and used, weapons are our new icons. Our lives are worth no more than a bullet.
The Guns collection is just a sign of our times. We get the symbols that we deserve." explains the designer. The inscription on the pedestal of the lamp is therefore "Happiness is a hot gun".
The aim of the Gun collection is to draw attention to the global arms exports of numerous governments: The gold of the Gun lamps represents the collusion between money and war. To this effect, the Beretta embodied in the Bed Side Gun symbolises Europe’s agreement. The black lampshade symbolises death. The crosses on the inside of the shade are to remind us of our dead. In this way, the entire Gun collection shifts the context to a kind of memorial for the countless dead, who have been killed in the numerous and profit-oriented wars.
To emphasise the intentions of the designer, the manufacturer Flos donates twenty percent of sales proceeds from the Gun collection to the human rights organisation Frères des Hommes in Europe.
More details:
- Table lamp for direct light and diffuse lighting
- Technical description:
Lamp body made of aluminium die-casting; coating made of injection-moulded polymer; 18 carat; galvanic gold- or chrome-plated; paper diffuser with matte black plastic coating and screen-printed gold-plated inner surface - ON/OFF lamp dimmer control for regulating light intensity from 0 to 100% on the two-core cable. - Lightbulb:
1 x MAX 75W E27 HSGS/F - Voltage (V) 220/240