He is an obsessive storyteller, in life and design. The more immediate and palpable the story, the better. It has to make an impression. This makes the object easy to read and understand, and while we may understand it in wildly different ways, this kind of immediacy makes it for the many rather than the few. There is often something familiar in Iskos’ objects, something you cannot place but you feel connected to.
The idea behind Calm Lamp arose, as it often does, from everyday life. Iskos is a keen observer. Landing at the Copenhagen Airport, he passed a billboard and came to a halt. Printed on a textile-like material, the ad lit up with an extraordinary, pleasant glow. He was captivated by how the light traveled through the material. The city is the starting point for the Calm Wall Lamp yet the result is deeply rooted in nature.
“Scandinavian design is partially characterized by its great respect for nature in terms of materials and light; something that I wanted to infuse the Calm Wall Lamp with, creating a light that isn’t tamed but instead has an organic flow,” he says.
While inherently functional, it is also a work of art in its own right. Its textile surface gently diffuses the light, forming a gradient from its edge to its center. The light disperses naturally from the central light source, a soft transition that is gentler on the eyes. It is effective and comfortable. A matte rubber band frames Calm Wall Lamp, lending a crisp edge to the softness of the organic design.
He likens good design to a really great magic trick — not the ones with all of the glitter, smoke and people sawed in half, but the one where the magic is simple, subtle. A card up the sleeve. That is the kind of effect he tries to create with his objects, Calm Wall Lamp certainly being an embodiment of this aspiration.
