Their Black Metal Collection is inspired by the line from Spinal Tap in which Nigel Tufnel says “how much more black could this be? None more black.” Although he was commenting on their new black record cover, he was clearly making a statement about design in general – black is absolute.
From this, Castor set out to create a line devoid of color and ornamentation, so to focus on form and simplicity. The black was achieved through a number of different finishes including black chrome and black oxide. The descriptions below are from the designers.
In mathematics, a conic section is a curve obtained at the intersection of a cone with a plane. This Conical Section pendant lamp is based on that proof. A hyperbola, ellipse, parabola and circle are produced by cutting a cone at different angles. The cages are plated in black chrome to help reflect the light emitted.
The Induction Tube Light uses a magnetic field to transfer electrical current to a regular 6-ft fluorescent bulb. The bulb will continue to emit light if lifted several inches away. This is achieved through the wireless transmission of electricity. The base houses a circuit that safely stores an electric current within a magnetic field. The bases are simple geometric forms milled from solid steel and plated in black chrome.
Reflector Floor Lamp
Taking inspiration from beaver pelt stretching techniques, this light diffuser reflects LEDs off of a piece of stretched foil leather. the base and stem of the light is designed to disappear in order to display the leather reflector.
The Oil Lamp is in partnership with Harnisch lamps established in 1842. collaborating with the oldest gas lamp manufacturers in Canada Castor was able to use Harnisch’s knowledge and production methods while stripping the lamps of all ornamentation to a simple cylindrical shape finished in black chrome.
The Tank bowl is the off-cut from the Castor Tank light, made from reclaimed fire extinguishers. The bottoms are recut, stripped, polished and painted a matte black finish on the outer side with a reflective black interior.
These Black Mirrors have a black tint finish that gives off a clean reflection and has a subtle darkened tone. The black powder coated spun metal back gives the illusion of hovering off the wall and produces depth to an otherwise flat object.
Photos by Derek Shapton.
