In praise of symbiosis
Created in 1969 by the unparalleled ingenuity of Antonio Macchi Cassia, Gravita is a perfect symbiosis between harmonious rounded shapes which intersect to create the lamp’s form. A futuristic, complex and extremely fascinating lamp.
A giant leap for lighting
Gravita was created in the unforgettable year of the celebrated moon walk by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Like them, in its own small way, Gravita was a giant leap for innovation in the world of lighting. Despite the echoes of the lunar landing, the inspiration for Gravita was actually Antonio Macchi Cassia’s ‘creative rigour’. An engineer by trade and a consultant for Olivetti for 25 years, Macchi Cassia has a highly methodical approach to design, believing that the ‘stroke of genius’ can only come after a process of research and development which draws on the technical knowhow he acquired in his years in industry.
Two is better than one!
Indeed, Gravita is a genuine distillation of technology: two spheres, one fixed and the other mobile, which light the room independently yet coherently. The larger sphere, 40 cm across and made of transparent blown glass, is secured on a cast aluminium base with a matte black finish. This holds an LED source screened by an oval cover. The words “Stilnovo – Gravita 1969 – Antonio Macchi Cassia” completes the effect. The soft light emitted ensures optimal visual comfort.
A black spiral cord with a vintage mood takes power from the base to the second light source: a 20 cm aluminium sphere containing a recessed LED spotlight. The two spheres are joined by an ingenious system of magnets, while the lights have separate switches and can be dimmed individually: just press the button and it’s done!
Where technique and playfulness come together
Magnets are actually one of the many passions Macchi Cassia plays with in his designs. And here’s the stroke of genius: the smaller sphere literally “gravitates” around its larger sister, with astonishing freedom of movement. How is it possible? Thanks to magnets, of course. Twelve of them, to be exact, located in the base of the smaller metal sphere and inside the glass.
Even today it’s amazing to see how the aluminium sphere moves smoothly in all directions, without the slightest damage to the glass. 50 years of work have allowed us to fine-tune the movement with an exceptional degree of precision and stability: not an easy thing to do with a curved and delicate surface like glass!
Today Stilnovo, with constant supervision by Macchi Cassia, launches a lamp that’s completely faithful to the original design and concept. More than half a century after its creation, Gravita continues to illuminate and furnish rooms with innate refinement.