MODULAR TYP 556

Re-edition: Midgard’s Modular TYP 500 and TYP 550 Range of Lamps to be Produced Again

The renaissance of a milestone in classic lamp design: first produced in the 1920s under the Midgard brand by Ronneberger & Fischer, the Machine Lamp was one of classic modernism’s first adjustable lamp designs. Marking the relaunch of the Midgard brand in January 2017, the work lamp designed by the brand’s founder Curt Fischer went into production again: an extremely versatile light source, thanks to its modular construction and configurability. Available in different table, wall, ceiling and floor designs at selected retailers in Europe and at ply.com, the Machine Lamp is now offered in two ranges called Midgard TYP 500 (featuring the historical base) and TYP 550 (boasting a rotating base).

A special feature of the TYP 500 and TYP 550 lamps are their maintenance-free joints. Curt Fischer had found a solution to ensure that the screws of the lamp’s adjustable arm would not loosen and hence would need no re-tightening, even when the arm was subjected to frequent movement. Lighting experts David Einsiedler and Joke Rasch were thrilled by this design and, when they acquired the original tools in 2015, were extremely lucky to also receive the whole Midgard archive, including hundreds of Fischer’s original drawings as well as photos, letters and other documents. “We build in keeping with the historical context”, state Einsiedler and Rasch when talking about the Midgard revival, thus highlighting a forgotten part of design history. The founders of the Hamburg-based PLY company recently acquired all rights to the Midgard brand, including the archive and the tools for the three classic Midgard lamp ranges. The re-edited modular and configurable Midgard TYP 500 and TYP 550 ranges are the first lamps from the Midgard portfolio that have gone into production again.

As in the past, the Midgard lamps are defined by superior functionality, superb workmanship and inventiveness. Available at selected retailers and at the ply.com online shop, the Midgard TYP 500 and TYP 550 lamps are still being built in the spirit of their inventor, as modular and configurable designs that come as a table, wall, ceiling or floor lamp. Customers can choose between different bases and arm lengths and between various types of shades and colours, according to individual requirements. The lamps and all their parts are produced in Germany, using the original tools and techniques: the die-cast aluminium joints and the hand-cast shades are assembled in Hamburg.