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Lighting Design 2024: Calligraphy and Light


Lighting Design 2024

The ancient art of Japanese calligraphy was the inspiration for Enzo Catellani when creating a new lamp for Catellani & Smith. Lighting Design 2024



The name and design of the Ensō lamp refer to the Zen calligraphic symbol “ensō,” which is shaped like a circle. It is an allegory of completion and enlightenment: an imperfect circle that emerges from a spontaneous hand movement. In the Ensō model, a blue circle, drawn with a single brush stroke, turns into a three-dimensional object that seems to float in the air. The intentional openness of the circle symbolizes the possibilities for growth and evolution.


Lighting Design 2024

“I was fortunate to spend a short period of my life in Japan,” says Enzo Catellani. “There I attended some calligraphy classes, and it was a discovery within a discovery. Even today I continue to practice this art, trying to find the sacred essence in these slow and precise gestures. The circle symbol “enso” especially fascinated me for what it embodied: enlightenment, completeness, everything, and nothing at the same time. At that moment, the next step became natural for me: to try to give it a three-dimensional form.”




Lighting Design 2024

The sculptural lamp rests on a brass base, and the LED light source, which uses an innovative patented wireless connection and distribution system, is hidden behind the lamp structure, creating a soft glow effect.


Lighting Design 2024


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