The effort expended by the company and the designers in recent years, in the phases of invention, development and production, has been truly extraordinary. The result is a different grammar of light in the functional syntax of interiors. The crucial question was why not to electrify a ribbon of fabric, thus managing to liberate light from volumes and architecture, from the distinction between architectural and decorative lighting. The design magic lies in the simplification of what is actually a complex response, nimbly achieved in the Plusminus system for total personalization, which combines a fabric belt in four colors and various light points.
The belt, developed in collaboration with the Textile Prototyping Lab in Berlin and their textile designer Karina Wirth, conducts electricity thanks to wires hidden in the weave of the fabric itself. At the same time, it becomes a support on which to fasten the lamps thanks to an intuitive click-and-connect system. The various items in the collection can be regulated, added or eliminated depending on the needs of the moment.
As Stefan Diez of Diez Office explained during the official presentation at the Vibia headquarters, “I think Plusminus finally represents the liberation of light from architecture, an entire alphabet and infinite combinations available thanks to an electrified ribbon, a belt that can be unrolled and attached where desired in spaces, loose or taut, horizontal or vertical, to bring light where it is needed, and to allow for repositioning in the future.”
The collection contains six lamps for different types of lighting – sphere, hemisphere, cone, spot, linear, low-UGR linear – joined in the toolkit by a series of attachments for the positioning of the diffusers along the belt. Plusminus is supplied as a toolkit, in fact, and can be deployed in preset configurations or custom solutions. It will soon also be available on vibia.com, thanks to intuitive software and a special assistance service.
Pere Llonch, CEO of the company, adds that “the freedom to ‘move’ light in space offered by Plusminus is a perfect interpretation of our vision of lighting design as something more than just light, extending to the creation of comfortable spaces in which people feel at ease, also underscoring the emotional aspects of living spaces.”
A collection that is also a statement of intent, as in the spaces recently designed for the corporate headquarters at Gavà, near Barcelona, involving the contributions of various architects and designers. Francesc Rifé Studio for the reception, the showroom of over 2000 square meters, and the ‘convivial’ spaces, with a large dining room and a professional kitchen.
The Barcelona-based studio of Josep Lluis Xuclà has worked on the two terraces, an outdoor area with the dual function of a space for the display of open-air lighting systems, and a zone for meetings and events. The design of the offices and the factory, finally, has been assigned to the firms Saus Riba Llonch (architecture) and Carlota Portavella (interior design).
