What is it about the letters m and o? Alone, they’re brazen and uncultured, the abrupt glottal stop of the o rivaled only for coarseness by the vulgar, mouth-smacking m. But put them together and you have the very essence of sensual languor, the merest touch of drawn lips rounded elegantly into the crescendo of the vowel: can anyone out there say “bilabial fricative?”

Moai Floor/Table Lamp. Designed by Defne Koz for Leucos.

Perhaps the innate sensuality of the pairing accounts for such evocative surnames as Moooi and Mua, both apt descriptors for the sexiest of products, as one pronouncing the names can’t help but make the sound of the archetypal kiss. Attribute it to an amatory nature if you must, but not only does the Moai Floor/Table lamp by Defne Koz for Leucos evoke this timeless gesture of affection, it’s over-the-top phallic to boot.

Like spiritual sisters Cindy Lamp and Andressa Glam, Koz’ lightpiece revels in an overt sexuality. The pair of earthily luminescent ovoids evokes the metaphor par excellence for the consummatory act and the aftermath thereof (see Uovo by Fontana Arte), while also recalling that “certain part of a male anatomy,” as the ubiquitously smiling Extenz guy says. The piece is phallic to a fault, yet, in all fairness, it depends on the perspective, different angles of apprehension evoking different phenomena: the detritus from a passing meteor shower, the birthing grounds for some strange species of extraterrestrial mollusk, a garden of phosphorescent marshmallows… the interpretations are only limited by one’s sanity, it would seem.

Koz and Leucos seem particularly attuned to Moai’s evocative otherworldliness; the lamp’s debut at April’s Salone di Mobile was quite literally cloaked in high drama: arranged on a panoply of geometric pedestals, a colony of Moais stood covered in black cloth. At precisely noon on April 24th, a model removed the dressing piece by piece as the lights flickered into life, illuminating the darkened room, as well as the collective days of onlookers world-wide, the event having been broadcast into 14 different countries. If you’re immune to such showy parlor stunts, there’s also Moai’s hand-blown white satin diffusers to consider, not to mention its base of compact glossy resin available in three classically sexy shades (white, black, and mocha) and double dimmer switch. The formidable trio of evocative organicism, versatility, and functionality proves rather difficult to resist.

via Cool Hunting