Functional Friction

With the adjustment mechanism of ONE EIGHTY, Yaacov Kaufman returned to the idea of openly visible technology found in earlier serien designs. As early as the 1980s, with his Multi X design for Lumina, he had developed a luminaire in which the friction between segments enabled the adjustability of the arm. For ONE EIGHTY, Kaufman combined a central tube carrying the power cable with two asymmetrically attached struts that generate friction when tilted, allowing the shade to be adjusted in a simple yet ingenious manner. The additional internal reflector and the bright nickel-plated end ring of the tapered, archetypal shade give the luminaire a particularly high-quality appearance. Because signifi cant forces act on the material during adjustment, Kaufman’s low-tech idea, developed in his workshop, proved especially demanding in production: the aluminium pressed parts, which must fit to within a tenth of a millimetre, are manufactured with high precision by industrial robots. Originally developed as a wall luminaire, ONE EIGHTY was expanded by serien into a product family including spotlights, ceiling and pendant luminaires in various sizes, available in brushed aluminium as well as black or white fi nishes. The name ONE EIGHTY refers to the joint that allows the head to swivel through 180 degrees.

The Tinkerer’s Screw

During a visit by Manfred to Yaacov Kaufman’s studio in Jerusalem, Kaufman showed him a wing-screw form made from two spring-steel bows covered by a stocking. The idea for a combined luminaire and fan reminded Manfred of the small propeller on the cap of the comic character Daniel Düsentrieb. Although serien had long since abandoned its initial intention to produce furniture, Kaufman’s idea was pursued further—not least because fans, due to their central ceiling suspension, are often also manufactured by lighting companies. As with many of Kaufman’s designs for serien, the original concept corresponded almost entirely, in formal-aesthetic terms, to the fi nal product: the connection of two stocking-shaped elements, into which a spring-steel wire is clamped, creates the form of a ship’s propeller. For production, the materials were slightly adapted and the motor moved upwards in order to integrate the light source in the lower section. PROPELLER can rotate forwards and backwards to push warm air downwards in winter. The fabric-covered object is very quiet and has no hard edges; if touched, the fan simply stops. PROPELLER is produced only in small quantities of around 200–350 units per year. Like Kaufman’s JOB, PROPELLER received several design awards and was included in the design collection of The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. 320