Belt: a work of aesthetic minimalism
Compasso d’Oro ADI XXVII Edition
Milan, 2022
In their lighting works, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec like to chase the unexpected. This is especially true of Belt, a 2020 lighting design featuring a leather harness (inspired by horse riding) concealing the lamp’s power cable, making a sinuous segue into rigid LED beams. Organic forms merge with straight lines, creating a dancing of shapes falling from the ceiling, rotating, growing in multiple di- rections and moving freely in the space. A belt that grows, moves, plays with the architecture, offering a sense of enchantment typical of the Bouroullec’s work.
The best position for a light source is always unexpected, and so is its connection to the electrical source. Following the same approach that the Aim collection has proven true, Belt is also based on flexibility, so its nature is a balance between soft and rigid. The soft sections serve as connection elements, while the rigid parts integrate the light source, a long LED beam. Belt is a line that can progress endlessly.
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Originally available in artisan-crafted leather in black, green and natural finishes, in 2022 Belt developed into a new fabric version, comprising a recyclable textile in olive green and copper brown.
The intelligent harmony of Belt was awarded with the 2022 Compasso d’Oro ADI, one of the highest accolades in de- sign, now in its 27th edition. The 10th Compasso d’Oro awarded to a Flos product, it was selected by an inter- national jury that was captured by Belt’s environmental sensibility and originality of thought, bridging technical and decorative lighting and embodying Flos’ philosophy of innovation, craftsmanship and design.