Bernard Schottlander designed for dew. éditions a perfectly balanced  lighting that  enhances the intrinsic movement for equilibrium: the Mantis. The project feature a clever system of counterweights combined with a series of strong, and flexible metal bars.  www.dcw-editions.fr

Like an acrobat suspended in mid-air, Mantis lighting is made from aluminum using the repoussé and chasing techniques that are a part of the metalworker’s inventory of skills, but to which Schottlander has brought his sculptor’s eye to creat a helical movement in which the symmetrical and the asymmetrical are in opposition.

Inspired by Calder’s artwork, Mantis lighting enhance the eternal play between balance and imbalance, revealing some of the secrets of what we mean by ‘solid’ and ‘empty’. Indeed, just like Calder’s mobile structures Bernard Schottlander’s design pieces appear to defy the laws of gravity. The essential poetry of the object is an invitation to enter a dream world of most judiciously balanced elegance.

Photos: Courtesy of dcw. éditions – www.dcw-editions.fr