The new Ama lights showcase intricate and thoughtful design, as well as BOMMA’s outstanding technical abilities. Glass mussels function individually in the interior, as eye-catching light objects similar to such collections as Phenomena and Tim. But they also find use in light constellations displaying both the opened and closed versions of the shell.
The refined elegance of pearls was transposed into the precisely executed form of the Ama lights. The light is formed by a stylized shell protecting a light source of LED chips hidden in a round lightbulb with a titanium nitride coating that lends it a pearly sheen. The perfectly cut growth lines on the outer shell point to the center of the light, further evoking the unique impression of a pearl.
Each glass shell is produced by using a special glassmaking technique. Over the course of two days, the glass is heated and gradually melts by its own weight into a prepared conical mold. Thus prepared, the components are then attached to a black metal mounting.
Ama is the perfect form of sea shells that create and protect pearls. Much like in the Mussels Collection, I found inspiration in those mysterious lives under the surface of the sea.
The mounting of Ama lights is created from anodized aluminum that also effectively cools the LED chips in the in the pearl lightbulb. Aside from the light source, the mounting structure also holds the glass shells, attached to elliptically-shaped glossy metal surfaces.
There are two available construction variations of the mounting that may be preconfigured and determine whether the shell will be opened or closed, evoking real-life pearl mussels. “These lights enable beautiful combinations of opened and closed shells, always creating an original constellation,” Václav Mlynář explains. The sophisticated elegance of Ama is further enhanced by color variations of the glass, including ethereal matte shades, clear and bronze tones, as well as a sparkly polished smoke color.
In Japanese, the word ama refers to a ‘woman of the sea‘ – a female pearl diver who traditionally collected pearls in Japan over centuries. Although it may seem that this work is romantically inspired, the opposite is true. Ama divers had to be able to hold their breath for several minutes and dive as deep as ten meters. There, in the icy waters of the Japanese Sea they found precious pearls, well protected from crashing waves and tides.
The exclusive character of the Ama Collection is defined by the subtlety of its glass shapes, inspired by the unique pearls that form under the sea for years, only to be uncovered by Japanese pearl divers, whose ongoing persistence and strength continues to inspire us even today.
The luminaires were seen for the first time at Salone del Mobile this April at BOMMA stand designed by italian Studio Salaris.
