Like fellow Dutchmen (and women) from David Graas to Daphna Isaacs Burggraaf to Laurens Manders, Jacco Maris has a way with light. Since 1994 Maris and perpetual collaborator Ben Quaedvlieg have created stunning, shimmering lightpieces from minimal materials with almost zero waste. Or, as Maris likes to put it, "Made something out of nothing and created maximum forms from minimal amounts of materials."

the outsider. Designed by Jacco Maris.

The sustainable ethos-and creative constraint-has resulted in jaw-droppers like the Medusa-esque ode 1647 and montone, as well as smart contemporary pieces like model a and solo. the outsider-a long, tall, and hefty floor lamp for indoor and outdoor use, is midway along this continuum. With equal parts personality and pragmatism, the lamp carves out its very own A & D niche.

Marris describes the outsider as "imposing," as well as "intriguing." The first descriptor is doubtless owed to the piece's unprecedented height–no specifics offered, but images suggest it's as tall as seven feet–while the second derives from the jaunty central angle and over-sized glass shade (Marris calls it a "window," but "eye" might be more to the point, given the outsider's resemblance to a giant, beneficent anthropoid with a most inquiring spirit).

The designer is known for his versatile touch with metal and steel, and he has made no exception with the outsider: the pedestal and frame are constructed of powder-coated steel and the shade is made of cast aluminum. The hefty nature of the base makes outdoor installations easy-it can be bolted to concrete or stone, and another version offers the option of permanent embedding within concrete. In addition to the stand-alone version of the outsider, Marris offers other formal incarnations including an adjustable hanging lamp and a wall lamp.

Via Contemporist.