Konstantin Grcic
German, born 1965
Manufactured by Flos SpA
Italian, founded 1962
"Mayday" Lamp
INV-1898
Konstantin Grcic
German, born 1965
Manufactured by Flos SpA
Italian, founded 19621998
20th Centurydesign
Date
1998
Medium
Polypropylene
Dimensions
55.3 × 19.1 × 19.1 cm (21 3/4 × 7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by the Architecture & Design Society
Konstantin Grcic’s Mayday Lamp exemplifies the industrial designer’s aspirations to rethink conventional products for the home. This portable lamp is probably his best-known work to date and was realized with the Italian design company Flos. A practical rendition of an industrial lamp made for domestic use, Mayday Lamp was born out of Grcic’s dissatisfaction with contemporary lighting solutions. His love of Formula 1 racing, specifically the no-frills lamps employed by auto mechanics, served as a source of inspiration. Portable, funnel-shaped, and equipped with a hook that enables them to be secured under the hood of a car, these safety lamps provided the basis for Mayday. The large hook crowning the top of the lamp is functional, but it also acts as a decorative element in the uncluttered design.
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