Hoba
Inspired by a meteorite that fell to Earth, Hoba translates the perfect imperfection of a handcrafted object into a lamp produced in series that is the physical representation of anti-geometry. A new expression of the many years of research conducted by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba with Foscarini to push experimentation on blown glass beyond traditional forms and methods.
To describe Hoba, it’s necessary to employ the vocabulary of nature. Foscarini's new family of lamps, made of matt embossed blown glass, resembles a stone fallen to the earth, deformed by speed and crystallized at the instant of flight. It is no coincidence that the new collection is named after the Hoba meteorite, the heaviest ever to hit the earth and that landed in Namibia, on the Hoba West farm.
With its asymmetrical and irregular shape, Hoba was born from the desire to create an industrially mass-produced lamp with the characteristics of a handmade lamp. "Like man-made objects, Hoba has a non-unique relationship with its form and features that perfect imperfection that triggers the magic, the curiosity, the elective affinity with man," says Roberto Palomba.
Hoba has almost nothing left from the sphere which originated it: the glass is crushed in several points as if a hand had pressed it leaving a series of imprints. An effect resulting from the careful reflection by the two designers: "The form of Hoba is obtained when nothing remains from the sphere and its aseptic geometry. When it becomes an emptied object, volumetrically mistreated. It is not so easy to understand when to stop because when you work on irregularity you are not looking for proportions but for something difficult to define. Something you see and feel: an organic deformation that maintains a certain level of dynamism. Hoba is an anti-geometrical shape."
The line is a new expression of the years of research of the designers on blown glass with Foscarini. "Bringing workmanship that is normally done by specialized glassmakers within a context of industrial reproducibility makes it possible to create decorative lamps with a strong personality" Ludovica Serafini continues. "The aim is to give those who choose these lamps the unique emotion that only the handcrafted piece can give, but also the affordability guaranteed by seriality."
A new process was invented for the product's realization to shape the lamp during the blowing phase while the glass is still hot. "The pressure takes place within a well-defined perimeter but is applied also by the master glassmaker and in this way, the shape is never the same" explains Roberto Palomba. "To arrive at this working process, which also ensures that no lamp is the same, Foscarini had to experiment a lot, leveraging its know-how in glass processing and experimenting with different options."
Hoba is a complete line of lamps available in suspension, table, wall and ceiling versions and in midi, medium and large sizes.
Inspired by a meteorite that fell to Earth, Hoba translates the perfect imperfection of a handcrafted object into a lamp produced in series that is the physical representation of anti-geometry. A new expression of the many years of research conducted by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba with Foscarini to push experimentation on blown glass beyond traditional forms and methods.
To describe Hoba, it’s necessary to employ the vocabulary of nature. Foscarini's new family of lamps, made of matt embossed blown glass, resembles a stone fallen to the earth, deformed by speed and crystallized at the instant of flight. It is no coincidence that the new collection is named after the Hoba meteorite, the heaviest ever to hit the earth and that landed in Namibia, on the Hoba West farm.
With its asymmetrical and irregular shape, Hoba was born from the desire to create an industrially mass-produced lamp with the characteristics of a handmade lamp. "Like man-made objects, Hoba has a non-unique relationship with its form and features that perfect imperfection that triggers the magic, the curiosity, the elective affinity with man," says Roberto Palomba.
Hoba has almost nothing left from the sphere which originated it: the glass is crushed in several points as if a hand had pressed it leaving a series of imprints. An effect resulting from the careful reflection by the two designers: "The form of Hoba is obtained when nothing remains from the sphere and its aseptic geometry. When it becomes an emptied object, volumetrically mistreated. It is not so easy to understand when to stop because when you work on irregularity you are not looking for proportions but for something difficult to define. Something you see and feel: an organic deformation that maintains a certain level of dynamism. Hoba is an anti-geometrical shape."
The line is a new expression of the years of research of the designers on blown glass with Foscarini. "Bringing workmanship that is normally done by specialized glassmakers within a context of industrial reproducibility makes it possible to create decorative lamps with a strong personality" Ludovica Serafini continues. "The aim is to give those who choose these lamps the unique emotion that only the handcrafted piece can give, but also the affordability guaranteed by seriality."
A new process was invented for the product's realization to shape the lamp during the blowing phase while the glass is still hot. "The pressure takes place within a well-defined perimeter but is applied also by the master glassmaker and in this way, the shape is never the same" explains Roberto Palomba. "To arrive at this working process, which also ensures that no lamp is the same, Foscarini had to experiment a lot, leveraging its know-how in glass processing and experimenting with different options."
Hoba is a complete line of lamps available in suspension, table, wall and ceiling versions and in midi, medium and large sizes.