As part of their 2011 Light is Movement Collection, Fontana Arte presented Wig, a pendant lamp designed by Chris Hardy. Exhibited at ICFF in May, Wig was also on display in Fontana Arte’s Soho showroom as part of “a special setting inspired by the aquatic world.” While Wig takes its most obvious style cues from its namesake, the suspension light does indeed resemble a jellyfish moving slowly underwater amidst the current.

Wig Hanging Lamp. Designed by Chris Hardy. Manufactured by Fontana Arte.

Flowerlike Suspension Lamp

Hardy’s hanging lamp is composed of a diffuser of curved petals in a white glossy varnished metal and a lower diffuser disc of satin methacrylate. Adjustable hanging steel cables affix the light to the ceiling. The cascading collection of white petals gives the piece a sense of movement, as if the lamp itself is dripping, swimming, or swinging. If you associate the lamp with water, it recalls the pendulous oscillation of Medusozoa. On land, Wig echoes glorious layers of hair asway in the wind.

While Wig works on its own, the hanging light becomes a sculptural installation when hung in groups. Affixed at different heights, Wig lamps play with your sense of motion—look above and you may feel you’ve entered an underwater wonderland in which you are dwarfed by giant jellies. People with a penchant for airy daydreaming might see a group of Wig lamps as a flotilla of cumulus clouds. Any way you look at it, Wig by Chris Hardy offers much more than light—it encapsulates the beauty of flux.

About the Manufacturer: Founded by architect Gio Ponti in 1932, Fontana Arte sought to explore the possibilities of glass as a material for interiors. The original collection included “furniture, lamps, and objects with glass as the main distinguishing feature.” Many of these pieces served to complement the houses that Ponti designed. Fontana Arte is able to continue its tradition of innovative lighting by working with designers around the world and focusing on Ponti’s original aesthetic philosophy. The company believes in “seeking beauty through technology.”