Bubbly wax forms, smooth amorphous shapes, and globules suspended in space – there’s something so captivating about the fluidity and distortion found in futuristic objects like the lava lamp. The Arnardo Collection by Paddy Pike represents all the attractive qualities of the ’70s desk icon, frozen in chrome. The six-piece, limited edition run references the industrial materiality found in Ron Arad’s most provocative work with the same curiosity while leveraging new technologies to execute fresh forms originally conceived with the help of virtual reality.
Equal parts digital design and material dialect, Pike’s now very solid pieces were first conceptualized through VR modeling and AI-based rendering, then slowly realized by handcraft in Spain exclusively for STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN. The designer elaborates: “VR helps to create organic forms with natural, human movement. AI helps to visualize these forms before production starts.”
Each contoured volume is a unique gesture rendered in a super-polished metal with atmospheric effects on light, color, and space at an architectural scale. What’s more, the Arnardo Collection marries its artful aspects with modern precision and expert millwork for the sake of utility.
“Translating ideas to physical products can be the most fun part of the process, as I work closely with skilled artisans to find solutions to create the collection,” Pike says. “Often, feedback from the artisans guides the visual language, which I welcome with open arms.”
The Arnardo Desk assumes a monumental posture, planted firmly on two strong, mirrored pillars, which help retain a sense of lightness through its chrome finish. The twin pairs of drawers embedded in the bulbous casing are only marked by a slim channel, just enough for fingertips to grasp and pull. Otherwise, the desk’s surface is completely unmarred of any disruption, professional in appearance.
“STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN has helped so much to navigate the world of collectible design,” says Pike. “The Spanish artisans keep me grounded; their skill and precision turn my more abstract ideas into tangible, beautifully executed realities.”
Though petite in comparison, the Arnardo Side Table boasts the same solidity that defines the collection while creating instant cohesion between pieces that vary in size. The table grows into an organic platform, defined just as much by its surface area as the white space that surrounds it.
Meanwhile, the Arnardo Table Lamp revels in its curves. Its scooped base balances in perfect proportion with its neck to reveal a cylindrical form that hides the globe, casting soft light below. Completely reflective, the base creates a striking contrast to the size of the metallic shade on top.
Taking on the guise of a mercurial creature, the Arnardo Cabinet takes a solid stance even at rest. The perfectly machined cabinet doors delicately break the continuous mirrored surface structure, again activating any room it enters with its distorted reflection. Doors open to reveal a singular shelf, perfectly cast to nestle within the cabinet’s cavity.
The quite enormous scale of the Arnardo Floor Lamp is hard to convey outside of physical experience. Standing at approximately seven feet tall, this mammoth of a piece doesn’t necessarily feel its weight. Gargantuan, serpentine appendages rise from a solid base, two heads rearing from the form, to create individual light sources. Similar to its tabletop counterpart, the circular heads nod to reveal organic openings, which encase the globes.
“My favorite details are the subtle forms that hint at wild animals,” Pike adds. “But what I love most is hearing the interpretations others bring – seeing people find meanings or references I never intended. It’s a privilege to watch the work take on new life through their eyes.”
In contrast, the Arnardo Bench is more subdued offering a quiet, cool place to sit among its mirrored mass. Those seated enjoy comforting divots and expansive curves that cradle the human form. While static in nature, the form appears to undulate when onlookers move around it.
Pike’s latest creations are an exercise in perception and digital manufacturing, unearthly in form yet distinctly human in their practical function. Handiwork is surely at the center of this other-worldly assortment, too, where humanity and computational tools coalesce. The Arnardo Collection offers viewers an alternative reality, one that foregoes the metaverse and instead offers the opportunity to traverse a world filled with Pike’s part-digital creations.
To learn more about the Arnardo Collection by Paddy Pike, visit paddypike.com.
Photography courtesy of Paddy Pike.
