Studio A.R.D.I.T.I., Italy, 1971

Although lesser known than other Italian Radical Design collectives, Studio A.R.D.I.T.I. was behind some of the movement’s most innovative creations. Their lighting designs using metal blurred the barriers of conceptual, interactive, and kinetic art with design, ranging in scale from tabletop fixtures to immersive installations. Such is the case with the “Ponte” (bridge in Italian) floor lamp. The strong but flexible steel arch allows the piece to have different heights and lengths depending on how the marble bases are placed in a room. Moreover, the lamps can be moved to emulate a moon orbiting in space. By 1971, metal had been fully incorporated in the lexicon of design—the vanguard was in rethinking how domesticity itself should look and feel.

"Ponte" floor lamp with fixtures on a chrome-plated steel arch with two marble bases.
Designed by Studio A.R.D.I.T.I., produced by Sormani, Italy, 1971.
164" L x 12" W x 96" H (length and height are adjustable)
FL280