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Pioneer of the first "total look" lamp, American designer Bill Curry designed the Obello lamp in 1971 with a single glass form, eliminating the need for a separate base. Using the visual form of a mushroom, he drew inspiration from the atomic age, the space race and the pop culture that would define 1970s Los Angeles. Sadly, he died the same year and never saw the Obello lamp go into production - in fact, it was at such an early prototype stage that he hadn't even given it a name.
Half a century later, with the endorsement of his family, Gubi put Curry's innovative design into production for the first time, now in a portable version. Julie Silliman, member of the Curry family, says: « It's wonderful to see the Obello lamp finally going into production - and I know Bill would have loved this new portable version. He was such a pioneer in lighting design that it's only fitting that his designs continue to evolve to accommodate contemporary uses. »
With a frosted glass shade, as used for the original Curry lamps, and an integrated dimmable LED light source, the rechargeable lamp can easily be moved between indoors and outdoors. With a full charge in four and a half hours, providing up to 40 hours of light, Obello creates a warm atmosphere when the sun begins to set and lasts until late at night. The Obello Lamp is an iconic space-age design that will make a statement, either as a playful centerpiece or a focal point in any outdoor space.
The shade is hand-blown glass - a challenge given its shape - as a nod to old kerosene lanterns, and the portable size makes it easy to carry. This materiality and craftsmanship add value and tactility, making each lamp unique. The dimmable switch means it can be dimmed when the sun goes down to extend the evening beyond dusk. Its soft glow is created by two LEDs, a brighter bulb facing up and a dimmer bulb facing down in the lamp stem. Built-in dual output LED and frosted shade ensure even light distribution and look the same from any angle.
Although the light should be stored and charged indoors, it is splash proof and therefore resistant to occasional rain showers, as well as sand and dirt. If you're happy to be outdoors, so is Obello.
« Bill Curry revolutionized lighting design in the 1960s and 1970s, but he didn't become the global name he could have been. Gubi is committed to bringing its work to today's audiences and securing its rightful place in the history of lighting design, » says Marie Kristine Schmidt, Gubi's Chief Marketing Officer.
The Obello lamp is relaunched as part of Gubi's mission to reintroduce Curry's work to contemporary audiences, securing its place in the design pantheon. Its striking form, flexible functionality and quality cast iron craftsmanship make it an ideal addition to the Gubi collection.
Materials frosted glass shade, base in ABS thermoplastic polymer
Charging cable 100 cm – black round USB-C cable
Dimensions Ø22 x H24 cm – base Ø10 cm
Obello
Bill Curry
American designer Bill Curry (1927-1971) captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s and 1970s with his iconic lamp designs. From his unique vantage point in Los Angeles, at the meeting point of art, design and engineering, in an era defined by the space race, pop culture and a new forward-looking optimism. future, he translated the wonder and delight he saw around him into simple terms but with clever ideas with clear visual narratives. Credited with developing the first forms of "total look" lamps - eliminating the base-bulb-shade concept and instead exploiting the bare bulb in a playful, self-contained unit - he was recognized as one of the leading designers Californians at the time of his death at the age of just 43.
After serving in the US Navy, Curry studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, before beginning his career as an advertiser, graphic designer and art director in the aerospace industry. His multidisciplinary background and exposure to pioneering developments in electronics and systems engineering in the aerospace industry gave Curry the experience and confidence to venture into industrial design and start his own design business. furnishings, Design Line Inc, in 1962.
From the first man-made object touching the lunar surface in 1959 to Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon in 1969, the era has been dubbed the "Space Age" and its aesthetic has influenced a generation. At the same time, the miniskirt moved from sci-fi movies to the high street, popularized by designers such as Mary Quant, and a new generation of Disney artists made Mickey Mouse a global icon: pop culture was born. The modernism that had characterized American architecture since the 1930s evolved into a futuristic style influenced by the space race as well as emerging automotive culture, jet engines, pop trends, and the "atomic age" . From his beach house in Playa del Rey, Curry watched jets fly over Los Angeles airport and imagined a future shaped by new technology.
He absorbed all these influences and ideas to develop a new standard in lighting - a unique piece that combines stand, bulb and shade into an organic, yet bold and colorful "LA space-pop" shape, fit for the world of tomorrow. . He pitted colorful cast iron bases against clear glass tops and combined interrelated materials, pieces and colors across multiple products. His space-age "total look" lamps were an instant hit - Industrial Design Magazine awarded his collection "Best Lamps of the Year" and the US Department of Commerce introduced his Stemlite collection to the Soviet Union , Yugoslavia and Iraq, as examples of American design.
In 1969, with more than 50 national design awards, including the New York Art Directors Club's Distinctive Merit Award, to his name, Curry was described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of California's leading designers" just before his untimely death two years later. His legacy lives on today as one of the true pioneers of space-age American design.