Ingo Maurer
German, 1932–2019
"Wo Bist Du, Edison...?" Ceiling Lamp
INV-1911
Ingo Maurer
German, 1932–20191997
"Wo Bist Du, Edison...?" Ceiling Lamp
Ingo Maurer German, 1932–2019 →design
Date
1997
Medium
Hologram, acrylic glass, and aluminum
Dimensions
Box: 34.3 × 62.3 × 62.3 cm (13 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 24 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by the Architecture & Design Society
Since the mid-1960s, Ingo Maurer has created lamps and lighting systems that reflect his fascination with the light bulb as the “perfect union of technology and poetry.” Wo Bist Du, Edison . . . ? (Where are You, Edison . . . ?) pays tribute to the original inventor of the light bulb. When the lamp is switched on, a vibrant hologram of a traditional incandescent bulb illuminates the acrylic lampshade. In addition, the light socket above the shade, which holds the actual light source for the hologram, is shaped like a profile of Thomas Edison. Maurer’s design playfully combines the basic elements of a standard lamp—bulb, shade, and socket, while offering an allegory of the intangible quality of light itself.