Stories made of light

‘Light is like a colour on the artist's palette, or a chisel blow by a sculptor. It must be delicate and respectful, light and sartorial,’ says Davide Groppi. He knew he wanted to devote his life to this when he saw the poetic lightness of Ingo Maurer's lamps. Fascinated by the creative freedom that opened up before his eyes in the original designs, he followed his calling and decided without hesitation to change course from his previous career as a mathematics student and technical draughtsman.

A small shop in the old town of Piacenza in northern Italy became his ‘laboratory’, as he calls it, in 1988, where he gave shape to creative ideas such as the ‘C'ÈUNPO'DIRUGGINEDENTROME’ table lamp and experimented with ready-mades. Armed with creative ideas, a healthy dose of ambition and his first designs, he set off across Italy in search of the right retailers. His dedication paid off: he made his breakthrough on the market in 1993 with the design of ‘BALOO’. Maddalena De Padova was so impressed by the unusual design that she lit up her shop window with 40 lamps. Projects with Boffi, Paola Lenti and Christofle, among others, followed.

Clarity, lightness and aesthetics have characterised his company's lighting ever since, as can be seen in ‘MOON’, for which he brought his own version of the familiar celestial body down to earth in 2005. The lamp owes its soft, mystical light to its construction from Japanese paper, which is patiently layered to create a unique texture inspired by the surface of the moon and which looks slightly different from every perspective. Groppi also saw technological hurdles, such as the introduction of LEDs to the market in 2010, as an opportunity: ‘NULLA’ was born, a design that hides the light source in a small round recess so as not to draw attention to itself, but rather to a favourite object. This celebration of the essence of light marked a milestone for Davide Groppi and his team: ‘NULLA’ was honoured with the ‘XXIII Compasso d'Oro ADI 2014’ award, followed by many other awards with the most prestigious prize for design worldwide, such as for the ‘SAMPEI’, “ANIMA” and ‘FM’ luminaires. Davide Groppi also created unbound light and a design narrative characterised by unique lightness with portable, wireless table lamps such as ‘TETATET’, which received an honourable mention from the Compasso d'Oro ADI in 2016.

Whether direct, indirect or diffused light is required, Davide Groppi's product range offers the right tone for every melody. ‘INFINITO’, an ultra-thin stainless steel strip only 18 millimetres wide with an integrated LED module, can be flexibly stretched up to 36 metres from the ceiling to the floor. It pays homage to the art and spatial concepts of the Italian avant-garde artist Lucio Fontana. Davide Groppi has always been inspired by how the great masters of art saw light: "When I design lighting for a restaurant, Caravaggio is my role model. The light in Caravaggio's paintings has always fascinated me. Light is never banal and is always used theatrically. It is cinematic light. The figures seem to emerge from the darkness. In my vision, the restaurant is the theatre,‘ he says. Light that can be effortlessly integrated into the space and at the same time becomes a perfect part of it, a so-called ’tailored light": He masters this complicated game with ease. It is therefore no surprise that the list of museums, galleries, restaurants, hotels, offices, sales rooms, public spaces and private homes equipped with his luminaires and systems has grown steadily over the years.

Thanks to a focus on essential expression and sustainable efficiency, production remains firmly anchored in Piacenza, with a large part of the range still being manufactured by hand. "For us, sustainability means reduction, essence. We dispense with the superfluous and work with pure forms and minimal materials. Because every project, every luminaire, should embody the perfect synthesis of lightness, function and emotion," says Groppi. In March 2018, the company became part of the industrial group Gruppo Dexelance s.p.a., with the aim of further expanding the already strong international presence of the successful brand.

Davide Groppi likes to surprise. His starting point is never the product, but always the light itself. His luminaries can be understood as letters of an alphabet with which to write your own story. Current products include the delicate gestures of ‘CLIC’, ‘TAO’, ‘SET’, ‘TRATTO’ and ‘MIA’, which offer lighting effects that amaze while their origin remains in the background. “CALVINO” and ‘MAGIA’ are stylish sculptures. ‘RACE OF LIGHT’ reveals a playful side and echoes the beginnings of his lighting magic: an electrified toy train set that can be assembled as desired. Electricity is fed to small car lights that can be moved around freely. Multifaceted, intuitive to use and yet always mysterious in their technology: lighting that not only serves to see, but also allows us to feel the magic of light.