ingo maurer: biotope + johnny b.butterfly

‘spirits flying high’, an exhibition of ingo maurer‘s newest pieces is on show at spazio krizia for milan design week 2011. included in the installation are ‘biotope’ and ‘johnny b. butterfly’, two new designs that represent the elevated mood with which the studio has approached their ideas and objects over the last year.

overall installation image © designboom

‘biotope’, a new project that had captivated maurer takes center stage at the exhibition. standing four meters tall, the vibrant green structure appears to be full of life, inviting the viewer to continuously discover new elements and objects. hand-made insects – each a work of art on their own – flutter out of natural sponges which conceal the source of light and filter the colorful and diverse lumens that are emitted from it.

detail of natural sponges image © designboom

lizards and insects are strategically placed throughout the piece image © designboom

different sponges add a dynamic range of textures image © designboom

butterfly image © designboom

detail of insects image © designboom

light peeks through the sponges image © designboom

image © designboom

the piece tapers towards the bottom, giving it a more natural and organic shape image © designboom

a small model sits below the object image © designboom

model image © designboom

table lamp versions image © designboom

‘biotope’ and ‘johnny b.butterfly’ image © designboom

the exceptionally detailed insects, created by an american artisan gave birth to ‘johnny b. butterfly’, a small limited series of pendants. butterflies and dragonflies dance around an over-sized light bulb, wrapped with a frosted strip of telfon to create a whimsical and light-hearted fixture.

‘johnny b.butterfly’ light image © designboom

a frosted teflon band wraps around the bulb to diffuse the light source image © designboom

insects float off of the light bulb image © designboom

detail of butterfly and the shadow it casts image © designboom

detail of insects image © designboom

insects line the over-sized bulbs image © designboom

overall bulb image courtesy of ingo maurer

detail of butterfly image courtesy of ingo maurer

detail of dragonfly image courtesy of ingo maurer