Walls give us separation and containment. Along with roofs, which we might term a horizontal wall, they house us. They establish the frontier between inside and outside, architecture and nature, guts and exoskeleton. In the past, some architects have defined success (at least partially) as protection from the elements. Seepage would have equaled error; historically, we have shunned any erasure of the clearly defined edge. But that liminal space should be mined-and this exploration is exactly what Flos is doing with their Wall Piercing lights.

Wall Piercing. Designed by Flos.

The Wall Piercing lamps get embedded within the wall, so that only a section of the ring-shaped LED shows, making it appear as if the light is growing from the wall, as if something is breaking forth (or breaking out). Available in 1x, 2x, and 4x models, Wall Piercing features one, two, or four rings "designed for a minimal visual impact integrated on the wall." The flush installation breaks the perfect circle of the rings of light, which otherwise resemble scientific models of atoms or ringed planets. Wall Piercing is made of aluminum with a polycarbonate diffuser and comes ready for "quick electrical installation." If you want even less interruption, choose Wall Piercing's white finish and mount the LED lights against a white wall.

This philosophical lamp comes from the creative minds at Flos, who seek "a perfect fusion of substance and energy." I find that Wall Piercing does marry these elements beautifully: the 3D ring represents substance and the resulting glow embodies energy. That it also challenges our binary mode of thinking is an additional benefit: Wall Piercing is truly breaking through our barriers (tangible and intangible).