MARSÈLL PRESENTS: THE CALYPSO LIGHT PROJECT

MARSÈLL PRESENTS:
THE CALYPSO LIGHT PROJECT
2024

The tension arising between the fleeting whisper of creativity and the tangible embrace of the matter is like a dance. More precisely, a calypso: enigmatic and entrancing.

The same dance and tension unfold between the light and the materiality of its support: the lampshade. Both domestic totems and simulacra, one invites the other to a dance, and even further to transcend the ordinary, to experiment: a habit chez Marsèll’s.

The Calypso Light by Danish designer Frederik Fialin sheds its skin to be re-clad in the leather of the Italian brand. The leather turns into a lampshade, laying an invitation to celebrate the tension between the ephemeral and the tangible, to first touch, and then caress, the softness of the material. Like in a dance, ever so intimate. The footwear is elevated into something else: light and an installation of life.

A synergy, strongly desired by Fialin and Marsèll, that marks a new instalment – after those with Soft Baroque, Gonzalez Haase, and Matylda Krzykowski – in which the footwear brand explores and celebrates the crossovers between fashion and design.

“A year after the opening of our first flagship store, we are excited to embark on a collaborative project with talented Danish designer Frederik Fialin, to highlight the genuine connection between the identity of our footwear and accessories brand and a designer whose vision aligns closely with our creations and the international movement surrounding radical design,” says Marco Cima, creative director and founder of Marsèll.

Together with Frederik, we have developed a lamp crafted from our leather, and we have also created a new, larger and more evocative version, specifically designed for this site-specific installation.

Marsèll has always honoured the dedication and sincerity that every professional brings to their craft, believing that through knowledge and collaboration, something truly unique with authentic value can be achieved.”

The Calypso Light, originally showcased earlier this year as part of the exhibition “Everyday Exquisite” during the Berlin Art Week, is for the occasion revisited in an exclusive collaboration with Marsèll. The brand’s leather is used for the lampshade, achieving a matte effect reminiscent of that of paint. The softness of the leather recalls the research on materials that unite both entities. A process of simplification, in which the purity of the lines tells the story of a formal rigour that pursues the essential without ever compromising creativity. For the occasion, Marsèll and Frederik Fialin will be showing three leather-clad Calypso Light floor lamps and two special oversized versions suspended in the store.

As Fialin explains: “Elevating the material to eye level offers a new perspective on leather, which, while commonly found in footwear, is less frequently experienced in this context. The use of leather is also completely new to Studio Frederik Fialin and is seen as a very welcome challenge.”