Swing Into View

Trunk, suspension lamp. Designed by Dima Loginoff.

Though I’ve yet to visit the African Savannah, and thus yet to see them in their natural element, I’ve always thought there was something sublime about elephants, especially in regards to the way they manipulate their fifth appendage. Along with their unrivalled bodily bulk, an elephant’s trunk distinguishes it from the other herbivorous grassland inhabitants.

Elephants demonstrate tremendous motor control with their trunks, employing the formidable suction and the two hidden finger-like protuberances to accomplish a wide variety of daily tasks including grazing, drinking, and grooming. And then there’s the Hindu symbology, which is firmly rooted in scientific truths: “there is no known human instrument that has an operating range as wide as that of an elephant’s trunk. It can uproot a tree and yet lift a needle off the ground.” Hinduism exalts the elephant for the personification (or animalification) of dualities—delicateness and power, wisdom and emotion, largeness of spirit and humility…

That’s a lot of metaphorical baggage to carry for a simple suspension lamp, but Dima Loginoff pulls it off with aplomb. Like another of his creations, the psychedelic Bone Lounge, Trunk is inspired by an organic form. In the width and shape of its terminal point, as well as the pendulum effect achieved in its suspension installation, the glass and chrome-plated steel fixture recalls the largest of the Savannah ungulates. The lamp does a sort of aesthetic double-duty too, evoking some of the more common archetypes of the elephant. It’s “exotic” in a way that’s conducive to an Oriental ambiance—I see them paired with legions of Loginoff’s aforementioned lounger (perhaps complemented by several of Karim Rashid’s Blobulous chairs or Koochy Sofas scattered about) to create chaise-style seating in an Asian restaurant. I can also envision broad installations in an uncluttered warehouse space, creating an intriguing gallery for art that might rely on moody lighting effects. I can even picture them as house lights for a stylish cinema or ambitious home-media space, the multi-colored orbs evoking the childhood mysteries of the circus as the lights dim and the show begins. And these are just a few ideas—Trunk’s innovative form and easy versatility doubtless lend it to hundreds more.

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