When turned on, it goes up and stays up. When turned off, it falls limp. If you’re looking for a conversation piece, look no further. To clarify, V/a.g.r.a. is a lamp and its designer, Romolo Stanco of Italian design lab nonesiste, obviously has a sense of humor. Given the number of VIAGRA commercials broadcast lately, you really can’t blame him. Moving beyond the obvious puns, V/a.g.r.a. is in effect, a living lamp composed of “embryonic and morpho-organic articles that come to life, move and react as living creatures stimulated by light.”

V/a.g.r.a. Designed by Romolo Stanco for nonesiste.

When the light is off, the lamp hangs limply, a cooperating subject to the force of gravity. Turn it on, and it rises up, curling and twisting into the air. Turn it off again, and slowly the lamp will re-submit itself to the gravitational force. Physicist Stefano Besseghini collaborated with Stanco on the lamp to realize this curious technology. The lamp is responsive to the light, or more specifically, stimulated by the electricity moving through it. It maintains its twisted, aroused state until the switch is flipped. At that point, the electricity drains and the lamp becomes flaccid.

While V/a.g.r.a. is a hanging lamp with a single-bulb; its larger counterpart, Arsenio, has a total of ten bulbs. Arsenio is effectively ten V/a.g.r.a.’s in one, arranged to form a sort of “chandelier.” The more the merrier? That’s up to you; both lamps exemplify inspired design. Fun and quirky; clean and modern, the lamps are beautifully designed and executed… so if you’re a bit conservative, don’t let the name deter you. V/a.g.r.a. will soon be available as a table lamp and floor lamp. Interested in other slightly more risque and/or love-inspired designs? Check out a few posts from the 3rings homage to Valentine’s Day which featured Fabio Novembre’s Him-Her Chair and Studio 65’s Bocca Lip Sofa.

So if you, like many others, wish it would simply go up when turned on…look no further than V/.a.g.r.a. It’s not just kids who enjoy things that react and respond to us. Living Surfaces by Jockimo, which compose the floor of the W Hotel’s Whisky Bar, move like lava when stepped on. Sensitile, whose application ranges from countertops to partition walls, employs fiber-optic technology to create an interactive light sensitive and light emitting material. These reactionary, technology driven products are becoming increasingly prevalent in the design world.

via TheDesignerMagazine