"Wo Bist Du, Edison...?" Ceiling Lamp

Ingo MaurerWW-1997-019308

1997·Hologram, acrylic glass, and aluminum·Box: 34.3 × 62.3 × 62.3 cm (13 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 24 1/2 in.)

<p>Since the mid-1960s, Ingo Maurer has created lamps and lighting systems that reflect his fascination with the light bulb as the “perfect union of technology and poetry.” Wo Bist Du, Edison . . . ? (Where are You, Edison . . . ?) pays tribute to the original inventor of the light bulb. When the lamp is switched on, a vibrant hologram of a traditional incandescent bulb illuminates the acrylic lampshade. In addition, the light socket above the shade, which holds the actual light source for the hologram, is shaped like a profile of Thomas Edison. Maurer’s design playfully combines the basic elements of a standard lamp—bulb, shade, and socket, while offering an allegory of the intangible quality of light itself.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1997
Medium: Hologram, acrylic glass, and aluminum
Dimensions: Box: 34.3 × 62.3 × 62.3 cm (13 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 24 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Ingo Maurer

Artist

Ingo Maurer

Painting

Ingo Maurer was a German lighting designer and sculptor who transformed electric light into a medium for spatial and emotional intervention. Working primarily in the postwar period, he created handmade lamps and installations that combined industrial materials with poetic restraint, treating light as both functional object and conceptual material. His work established lighting design as a distinct artistic practice rather than mere illumination engineering.

Reichenau, Germany

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