Archive Light

Client: Lobmeyr

2024, Vienna, Austria

Archive Light Met, photography by Klaus Fritsch

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For over two centuries, Lobmeyr, the renowned Viennese crystal manufacturer, has been collecting and stowing myriad crystal elements, chandelier components, dead stock, and other unique artifacts in their vast, mesmerizing archives.

The first time we got a glimpse of those phenomenal facilities was in 2014, while working on our first collaboration with Lobmeyr, on invitation of the Vienna Design Week. Exploring the precious contents of the endless shelves and dust-covered boxes has left a strong, long-lasting impression on us.

Years later, images of the countless, meticulously crafted elements that we saw in the family company’s archives remained fresh in our minds. A great deal of those are typically viewed as part of Lobmeyr’s perfectly orchestrated, complex chandeliers, yet we found ourselves drawn to their individual qualities. Our wish to accentuate those exquisite items inspired our concept behind the Archive Lights.

The expanding collection consists of open, brass frame structures, each featuring carefully mounted, selected crystal elements, illuminated by precise LED lights that are integrated into the brass profiles. The open structures illustrate museum-like, specimen displays, that invite the viewer to scrutinize and appreciate their precious contents.

While the concept started from our wish to highlight our picks from the archives, along the way, it has evolved into an entire visual typology; alongside rare finds from the archives, we have decided to include other items from Lobmeyr’s existing collections, such as chandelier parts and fine crystal tableware.

The Archive Lights provide a fresh perspective on the centuries-long grown portfolio of this unique company, by literally and figuratively highlighting the details that comprise it, and establishing a link between the past, present, and future.