Federico Babina transforms iconic design lamps into animals in 'Zoolamp' video

Italian illustrator Federico Babina has released a new video titled 'Zoolamp,' in which he playfully reinterprets twenty iconic design lamps as animals. The two-minute animation features recognizable pieces such as Vico Magistretti's 'Eclisse' lamp transformed into a penguin, Le Corbusier's 'Nemo' lamp into a giraffe, and Miguel Milá's 'Globo Cestita' lamp into a koala. Babina describes the project as an exercise in 'pareidolia of design,' where he seeks and recognizes animal forms within the shapes of famous lamps. He aims to bypass rational thought and encourage instinctive associations, allowing viewers to engage with volumes, colors, and forms in a playful manner. This is not Babina's first foray into such visual games; he has previously turned iconic chairs into faces and customized fonts in the styles of different architects. The video invites viewers to guess which animal each lamp will become, freeing the mind from preconceptions and tapping into instinct. The project was published on Artribune in October 2023.