Formafantasma

When did you realise you wanted to be a designer?

S: Already when I was attending high school. In my bedroom I had a poster of the Enzo Mari’s exhibition ‘Il lavoro al centro’.

A: I got interested in design through my passion in collecting vernacular objects.

What is artificial light for you?

The relationship humans have with light transcends a functional dimension and is elevated to an emotional one. Lamps are designed to illuminate the world with brightness, but also with the intimacy of shadow: the quality of light cannot solely be measured through its intensity.

Why do you like working with Flos?

Flos is the best company in lighting with an amazing historical catalogue and consistent outcome. Their way of working is a brilliant balance between freedom and rigour.

What is the next object you’d like to design?

Maybe not an object but more to rethink different ways of living, producing and interacting with objects.

Is there a great designer, artist or musician you regard as a point of reference for your work?

No, we do have people we admire but we do not believe in Maestros.

Why did you call yourselves Formafantasma?

Formafantasma means Ghost shape. Our approach to design is not formal. Form is for us always the consequence of a process.

Is it true that you have produced work on the issue of migrants from Africa through Libya?

We have actually developed two projects. One called Moulding Tradition, the other Colony. The first one concerns the influence of migratory flows on local culture and relates the 10th century Afro-Arabic invasion in the Mediterranean to current migration flows from North Africa to Europe. Colony, on the other hand, looks at the Italian colonial influence on some regions of North Africa such as Libya and Eritrea.