Arturo Alvarez lamps and the architectural dialogue
Le Corbusier said: ‘The house must be the housing of life, the machine of happiness’. In this sense, we see our luminaires as pens in such a housing, as beautiful and functional compasses that are part of a whole: the universe that makes up the daily life of Anthropos.
At Arturo Alvarez we know that the essence of a good luminaire lies precisely in its ability to connect with its surroundings, to conceal itself in its housing. That is why the connection between our luminaires and nature is one of the cornerstones of our design. We are inspired by nature and create luminaires that reflect the tranquillity and balance of the environment that surrounds us: Textures that remind us of home, shapes that flow like the branches of a tree or the line of the horizon. Each piece seeks to resonate with the essence of the organic and give the spaces a sense of authenticity and rootedness in nature. As in nature, where forms vary and coexist in harmony, our lights are designed with materials and lines that dialogue with different environments, be it a rural or an urban context.
However, this natural inspiration is not just a question of aesthetics. The luminaires from a-emotional light are also created out of respect for the balance and functionality of the architectural traces of nature. A key element of this approach is the choice of materials and the way they blend into different environments. In our designs, materials such as granite or lacquered stainless steel mesh evoke this duality between the elemental and the processed, reminding us of how nature itself uses basic elements to create complex and sustainable ecosystems.
Our organic approach also leads to a dialogue between two fundamental architectural trends: organic architecture and rationalism. The former, driven by the idea of designing in harmony with the environment, favours buildings that fit into their natural context, blurring the boundary between the built and the organic. Inspired by this principle, we at Arturo Alvarez- a-emotional light endeavour to create objects that complement rather than dominate the space. Each luminaire is a tribute to the irregular shapes and sense of calm that nature evokes, like a small autonomous landscape that illuminates and accompanies without imposing itself.
On the other hand, rationalism in architecture stands for a theory that is strongly anchored in geometry, symmetry and functional purpose. Efficiency as a starting point and as the ultimate goal, avoiding any superfluous ornamentation. In this sense, rationalism stands for precision and organisation of human society: concepts that can also be found in some of our collections. Each luminaire from a-emotional light has been carefully designed to fulfil a clear purpose without losing its aesthetic identity.
The interaction between the natural and the rational has been a recurring theme in design and architecture for centuries. For this reason, our work refers to the interaction between different schools of thought – from Frank Lloyd Wright to the principles of the Bauhaus, the International Style or Galician Naturalism. In this way, we find in the contradictions an engine to promote the integration of our works in the landscape, without neglecting the human imprint that gives life to the contents of a-emotional light ( Arturo Alvarez).
By integrating these two visions, Arturo Alvarez Licht not only creates lighting collections, but also experiences that invite us to reflect on the environment around us. Nature and rationalism may seem like opposites, but in both principles we find fundamental values on which we build our project. In nature we find inspiration and tranquillity, in rationalism clarity and functionality. Thus, each piece of a-emotional light manages to unite these principles and create a relationship of balance and respect between the design and the space it illuminates. This dialogue between the natural and the rational makes our luminaires light sources and symbols of a design that adapts and coexists, harmonising the contradiction between aesthetics and function.