The Sopranos meet Versace. I am liking this lamp actually, part of a series of table and floor lamps in silver or gold.
Designed by Philippe Starck for Flos in 2005. The body of the lamps are in die-cast aluminum. The gold version has an 18K polished gold-plated finish. They start at around $980,- and can be found in several online design shops.
The Homevoyeurs webshop sells many books about Starck, have a look!If you’re lucky, even on eBay!
Starck’s own words on his Gun Lamp Collection:
First there were attempts at life, then the draft
of life, then Life itself.
It didn’t have much value – life and death altogether.
It was something of an accident, without importance.
But Mankind kept working. A lot.
A civilisation was crafted so that Life could live.
Sublime by obligation, Life became sacred,
untouchable. The great, beautiful Life, guaranteed
to everyone, surged and survived until today,
the 21st century, the third millennium, the advent
of civilised civilisation.
Bravo! Rest in peace.
Crash! It’s never what you think.
After just a short period of enlightenment,
the shadows return, fast, dense and menacing.
Rewind, death is at the door.
Nowadays we kill – religiously, militarily, civilly,
indeed very civilly sometimes. We kill out of ambition,
out of greed, for the fun of it or of the show.
Republics turn bananas. Tyrant are our masters,
Designed, manufactured, sold, dreamed, purchased
and used, weapons are our new icons.
Our lives are only worth a bullet.
The Guns Collection is nothing but a sign
of the times.
We get the symbols we deserve.
Happiness is a hot gun.
Glory to our dictators
To Life, To Death
P.S.:
Light, functional, affordable and elegant,
with over 100 million copies officially
produced to date, the Kalachnikov is one of the
industrial design success-stories of our age.
Mr Kalachnikov has never received any royalties
for this design. He often complains about it.
Thus, I intend to pay him a commission for the
sales of the model that replicates his invention.
Poor guy. The remainder will be donated to
“Medicins sans frontieres”, though sometimes
I wonder why.
Aux larmes Citoyens
Aux armes Citoyens
Explanations:
The gold of the weapons represents
the collusion between money and war
Table Gun symbolises the East
Bed Side Gun symbolises Europe
Lounge Gun stands for the West
The black shade signifies death
The crosses on the inside are to remind us
of our dead ones.
Yes, well, it is still just a lamp Philippe……