DCW Editions ISP
By Ilia Sergeevich Potemine
What is it ? A mystery ? An object from outer space ? From what period of history did it emerge? Which era ? Who could have invented such an object ? These are the first questions that spring to mind when you see the ISP lamp, the work of a young ‘engineer-artist’. He’s 30 years old. His name is Ilia Sergeevich Potemine. ISP is a mini-revolution in the lighting world. Aesthetically, it resembles nothing on earth. It’s not inspired by any existing lamp, nor is it a reproduction of some obscure design from a bygone era. It is a resolutely contemporary object. A jewel of a lamp that illuminates a mysterious universe. At the same time it is a mechanical jewel, one that is encased in a simple brass capsule. ISP makes us all masters of light: it has no switch, no dimmer. From obscurity to light with a period of eclipse in between, our relationship to the object is itself part of the experience. ISP switched off, eclipsed or lit-up, the object is… (It’s up to you to write the ending.)