Drawings and photographic material, Be-Andon, lamp 行燈（燈具）繪圖及影像資料

While some of his most recognisable designs are the sculptural chairs he created for Italian manufacturers, designer Umeda Masanori also worked closely with Japanese manufacturers during the 1980s and 1990s. This lamp, designed for Tokyo-based Yamagiwa, is a contemporary twist on the long craft tradition of Japanese papermaking. It was produced in several sizes and two distinct versions: one with the arcs of subtly textured paper held in tension by a wire frame and colourful plastic clips, the other with a solid base and top providing channels to hold the paper in place. Both versions sport a wire handle that emphasises their light weight and portability, further suggesting an association with andonーtraditional paper lanterns.



Umeda founded his Tokyo design studio in 1980, returning to Japan after working for over a decade with Ettore Sottsass at Olivetti in Italy. Focusing on both product design and commercial interiors, he continued to explore colourful, sculptural forms that can be broadly characterised as postmodernist. Umeda was a participant in the radical Memphis design collective in the early 1980s, and his later work carries with it some of the same expressive spirit, humour, and interest in the symbolic associations of objects.