Series K desk lamp and electric light globe
Object No. 2017/57/1
The Studio K desk lamp was designed by Bill Iggulden and first manufactured in 1962, and was immediately lauded by designers and architects, and won the Australian Design Award. The Studio K desk lamp was manufactured by Planet Lighting. Originally an engineering company that designed the Speedscrew Floor Clamp in the 1920s and the Bently Fibro Cutter in the 1930s, it is little wonder that the Studio K lamp inherited an industrial aesthetic. The lamp is a successful adaptation to the existing parallegram spring balance arm lamp idea which was first defined by the British Anglepoise lamp in 1934. Bill Iggulden worked for a caravan manufacturer when he was a young man and designed a window with a spring-balanced mechanism, and this helped with his first lighting design, the Orbit lamp of 1939, which greatly informed the design of the Series K. Examples of the Series K lamp have been displayed by the Louvre in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Damian McDonald Curator September 2017
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Lamp and electric light globe, planet lamp, Series K, blue, metal / plastic / electronic components / glass, designed by Bill Iggulden, manufactured by Planet Lighting, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, c. 1970
Physical Description
Flat, oblong metal base with swivel in centre. Short armature with binary push switch, mains power chord, and two springs which attach to the first long armature. Hinged onto second long armature with hinged metal lamp shade. Turquoise blue in colour.
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed by Bill Iggulden, manufactured by Planet Lighting, Melbourne, Australia, c. 1970. In the 1930s Bill Iggulden and his brother expanded the company their father had founded, Bentley Manufacturing Company, to focus on lighting design and manufacture. The first product was a self-balanced table lamp, called the Orbit, replaced in 1938 by the I series range, which was produced for almost 60 years. Following the outbreak of World War II, Bentley-Planet was engaged in wartime production, manufacturing the first bomb-rack cradles for supply dropping on the Kokoda Trail. Post-war, the company went back to lighting design and manufacture. Most significant of this period is the now iconic Studio K, designed by Bill Iggulden and released in 1962.
HISTORY
Notes
Produced in the late twentieth century, and made with quality materials, this lamp was sourced on the second-hand market by curators at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences for research and display in exhibitions and to complement the Museum's industrial design collection.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 2017
Acquisition Date
15 December 2017
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry