The Reflection of Light by Antoni Arola
On 10 September, we met with Antoni Arola at Dahl Agenturer’s showroom in Stockholm where the designer shared with us his vision of his products. Santa & Cole’s Editor, David Martí, also joined the event to bring the brand closer to the attendees.
The privilege of working with light
From a multi-disciplinary designer standpoint, Arola defined light not just as a tool but as a material brimmed with sensitive nuances. Through his artistic intuition, he captivates light to communicate ideas, create beauty and raise awareness.
He defined himself as someone with the ability to observe. He is particularly attracted to ordinary objects, which accompany him daily configuring the material universe around him.
‘My entire universe is based on letting things happen and watching closely.’
The playfulness of lighting design
He explained that making a lamp might seem simple. However, a paradox arises quickly as achieving genius simplicity implies a complex process. Not overwhelmed by this challenge, Arola conceived the exercise of designing as a playful activity: domesticating light in different forms is a game that enables him to explore colours, intensity and gradients.
‘The lamp becomes an excuse to play with light.’
Throughout the talk, he enhanced light’s ability to reshape reality, playing with the perception of space. The dialogue between lights and shadows is paramount for him as he believes the latter ones are the true main characters of the space. For Antoni Arola, light is matter, light is the origin of everything.
Photography Anna Lovehed
