Light in Balance
When Artemide introduced the technically sophisticated, manually adjustable "Ixa" luminaire two years ago, the collection already comprised different versions. The design studio Foster + Partners had developed the elegant series for the Italian manufacturer, consisting of a table, reading, wall and floor lamp. The latter, the "Ixa Floor", was honoured with the Designplus Award in 2024 for its combination of technical precision and aesthetic finesse. The design was guided by kinetic objects: "Inspired by the dynamic sculptures of Alexander Calder, the design interprets the idea of 'elegant balance' through precision engineering", explains Mike Holland from Foster + Partners Industrial Design. The idea behind "Ixa": an adjustable, spherical head is combined with rods and counterweights. The light can be freely aligned in the room using magnets, creating functional and dynamic lighting scenarios. "Ixa" thus offers its users "a highly individual 'analogue' experience", emphasises Holland.
The successful series has now been expanded both technically and proportionally: with "Ixa Wall Spot" and "Ixa Wall Spot Plug", two alternatives for a minimalist yet smart wall light without a swivel arm have been added to the family: either with an integrated driver or with cabling, where a wall fixation makes the cable routing an aesthetic part of the luminaire. With "Ixa XL", a larger head is also being introduced to the collection. The designers have rebalanced the proportions to equalise the weight. With "Ixa XL Ceiling" and "Ixa XL Wall", the head does not have a magnetic connection, but slides and rotates in a calibrated mechanism. Thanks to the 360-degree rotation of the joint that connects the supporting rod to the counterweight rod, it offers complete flexibility. The larger luminaire head contains a dim-to-warm light source with a precise lens. This ensures bright light for a concentrated surrounding, and when the brightness is reduced, it provides increasingly yellow light for a cosier atmosphere.
A new aspect is added to the group by "Ixa Suspension", as it continues its aesthetic style without joints. The silhouette of the pendant light draws a vertical line in the room, at the end of which the light head with a diameter of ten or fifteen centimetres is seamlessly attached. Available in the same five classic colours, Artemide has skilfully created a counterpart to the mechanically flexible members of the series.
