Parentesi

Overview

Parentesi is an adjustable luminaire by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù (1971) for Flos. A shaped steel tube carrying the lamp head slides vertically along a ceiling-to-floor steel cable, held in tension by a cast-iron counterweight. It is named after the parenthesis symbol, a reference to the curved tube that holds the bulb.

Construction

• Painted or nickel-plated shaped steel tube (Red, Black, White or Nickel) sliding on a steel cable
• Fixture head in black injection-moulded elastomer housing the switch; the bulb rotates on the tube
• Cable kept in tension by a turnbuckle (inox, per the professional page) and the cast-iron counterweight; a second light source (Parentesi Element) can be added

Specifications

• Model Parentesi On/Off, Red (F5400035): tube height 580 mm, base Ø 110 mm, cable 4000 mm
• E27 lamp holder, 1 lamp (R125 reflector bulb, not included); insulation class II; IP20
• Ceiling rose Ø 64 mm × 20 mm; net weight 3.5 kg

A Sketch Developed by Castiglioni

The idea began with a drawing by Pio Manzù, the young designer of the Fiat 127, who died in 1969: a slotted, light-emitting cylinder resting on a rod from ceiling to floor. Manzù's widow showed his drawings to Achille Castiglioni, who never met him. Working with Flos technicians, Castiglioni replaced the rod with a metal cable that, deflected by a shaped tube, creates enough friction to hold the lamp in place without a screw, kept taut between a turnbuckle and a 5 kg weight.

Shared Authorship and an Icon

Castiglioni chose to credit Parentesi to both designers. Released by Flos in 1971 in transparent plastic packaging designed as part of the product, the lamp won the Compasso d'Oro ADI Award in 1979 and is part of the permanent collection of MoMA and other major design museums.