Arco Lamp Turns 60: A Fictional Interview with a Design Icon

In a fictional interview for Salone del Mobile 2022, the Arco floor lamp, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962, reflects on its 60-year legacy. The lamp recounts its life at the Castiglioni studio in Milan from 1963 to 1989, describing the brothers' collaborative and joyful working style. After Pier Giacomo's death in 1968, the lamp witnessed the arrival of Parentesi001 in 1971, which won a Compasso d'Oro in 1979. In 1989, Achille gave Arco as a graduation gift to Patricia Urquiola, his former student at Politecnico di Milano. Arco lived with Urquiola until 2006, learning Spanish and observing her design practice, which evolved from hand-drawing to digital tools. In 2006, Arco moved to the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni in Milan, where it participates in exhibitions like '1962, blocchi di marmo, manici di scopa e altre storie' during Salone del Mobile 2022. The lamp comments on contemporary design, noting that young designers are too serious and competitive compared to the Castiglioni brothers' playful approach. It praises the evolution of Italian design toward inclusivity and social engagement, crediting the Castiglioni brothers, Vico Magistretti, and Urquiola as masters.