Download allThe result of collaboration between AQForm and Andrew Klisz
What is behind IKI? This Japanese word means the pursuit of uniqueness, the desire to experience intertwined with a fascination for balance. It also means avoidance of exaggeration, love of beauty and elegance. Such is also the IKI fixture - balanced and delightful in form. The creation of the IKI lamp collection is the result of a creative dialogue and a combination of the experience of two parties in the design process - Polish lighting manufacturer AQForm and Andrzej Klisz, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Enter the world of IKI and learn about the path of its creation.
IKI is a luminaire that impresses with its unique form and refined details, especially when you add a variety of color finishes like orange, graphite and ash. The starting point for the creation of IKI was when AQForm invited Professor Andrzej Klisz to collaborate. What did the process look like?
IKI lighting fixtures
© AQForm
Hundreds of sketches, several months of work on balanced form and functionality
At the beginning of this collection stood the desire to create a well-lit and decorative in form luminaire, which will be based on ecological materials. And, on top of that, it will retain the characteristic style of the Polish manufacturer. In the initial phase of the project, the Polish manufacturer contacted Andrzej Klisz, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice.
We were looking for a designer to work with who has a good understanding of the user's needs and a fresh eye for the possibilities offered by modern lighting. It so happened that we had worked with Professor Andrzej Klisz before on educational projects. As a result, he also understood our philosophy of operation and the work quickly accelerated," notes Wojciech Starowieyski, CEO of AQForm.
More than a hundred sketches were created at the conceptual stage. The elimination of ideas was a very important and at the same time difficult stage and a valuable experience. During several months, the team of the luminaire manufacturer and a professor from the Katowice Academy of Fine Arts worked together to refine every last detail.
How to balance a hanging luminaire that has two asymmetrical panels? How to connect the luminous body with the outer material in an aesthetically pleasing and durable way? And how to do it in such a way that the user can change the arrangement of the panels independently? These are just examples of the challenges we had to face," recalls Mariusz Lecki, Head of Research and Development at AQForm.
IKI lighting fixtures
© AQForm
One of the biggest challenges was finding the right material. The designers' first steps were toward cardboard, but technical and stylistic limitations caused the search to continue. Another choice - natural plywood. However, during prototyping, it turned out that with this material there is a lot of waste in the production process. The team was faced with the question, even if the material was natural, would it allow for an environmentally friendly production process? For AQForm, it was important to maintain balance at every stage, so the search continued. In the end, the designers reached for mass-colored MDF. The manufacturing process of this material is ecological and thanks to full-width staining, the color of IKI panels is uniform on both sides. What's more, thanks to the structure of the material, the openwork panels get their own expressive structure, which is beautifully highlighted by the light. Thanks to perseverance in the search for the perfect material, the design team headed by Andrzej Klisz chose a material that was 100% in line with the initial assumptions.
In designing luminaires, we try not to walk easy paths. We definitely prefer to follow the roads less traveled, which may not always lead to the expected destination and often require returning to the starting point. This is something that fascinates us, but at the same time brings spectacular results in the form of non-obvious luminaires available in our offer," emphasizes Paweł Olesiak, COO of AQForm.
IKI lighting fixtures
© AQForm
IKI: a synonym for beauty and balance
IKI is a dialogue between form and functionality. It not only looks good, but also shines perfectly - in the currently available pendant option, it will work well in a home dining room, hotel reception area or modern restaurant. The luminaire is available in two variants, which leave the choice depending on the function performed. The version with directional LED light is precise task lighting, which will successfully illuminate a table or work surface. The E27 version of IKI, on the other hand, emits diffused light to the entire room, while the characteristic openwork panels enhance the light that flows around it. In the case of the IKI version with a replaceable light source, it was particularly difficult to balance the fixture so that it would remain vertical. The solution AQForm engineers reached for are built-in weights and a special stiffener to stabilize the cable.
IKI is a luminaire that not only looks great or performs its function perfectly, but above all takes care of maintaining the right climate in the interior. Unusual, hitherto unprecedented openwork construction is both a synonym for decorativeness and a guarantee of a well-lit interior. The most important thing in the whole project was to find a balance between design and functionality.
Light requires an appropriate setting and going beyond the usual schemes. IKI is a perfect example of achieving harmony based on changing relationships," stresses Andrzej Klisz.
Where did the idea for the name come from? During the process, several proposals were made, but each seemed inappropriate. In the end, Pawel Olesiak and his team found the perfect one that best interprets the setting. IKI is a Japanese word that means the pursuit of uniqueness, the desire to experience, intertwined with a fascination with balance. It is also the avoidance of exaggeration, the love of beauty and elegance. The proposal of this name is the result of a search for a word that is perfectly able to describe both balanced and stunning in its form.
In the name I liked the arrangement of the letters, this symmetry, although not so obvious because of the letter "K", and this made the name a perfect complement to the luminaire we worked on," adds designer Andrzej Klisz.
Functionality, balance, versatility, decorative simplicity of geometry, but above all, unquestionable beauty and timelessness that rises above interior trends - this is what a luminaire with many possibilities is, namely the IKI luminaire from AQForm.
