- The Marset x CUPRA Dipping Light and the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar are prime examples of a shared design obsession
- The use of light as an element, the handcrafted process of making colour and the pursuit of a unique design are the keys to the link between the lamp and the showcar
- This latest collaboration between CUPRA and Marset is part of CUPRA Design, the brand’s standalone design house that takes its unconventional challenger aesthetics to other products
The paths of two Barcelona-born brands, Marset and CUPRA, have once again crossed in their passion for creating truly authentic designs. The result of this new collaboration is the Marset x CUPRA Dipping Light lamp, a dialogue between the material and the intangible that evokes CUPRA’s newest and most rebellious design, the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar. Francesca Sangalli, head of Colour & Trim and Concept & Strategy at CUPRA, and Marset designer Jordi Canudas take us on a journey into the depths of this unique connection.
Shaping with light. “At CUPRA we attach great significance to light as an element, over and above its functionality” says Francesca. An example of this are the crystal-clear transparencies in the interior of the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar: “We explore the dialogue between physicality and transparency; a very sculptural shape made with transparent material comes to life and gains another meaning once it is illuminated” she explains. For Jordi, working with light in a physical way is fundamental: “Light is invisible; it only becomes visible through matter.” On the Dipping Light, three degrees of light intensity merge with three shades of colour “playing with reflections and textures to offer a different vision of the same object” he adds.
Crafting with colour. The colour process is essential in the handcrafted production of the lamp: “The glass shade is dipped in liquid paint to create these layers of CUPRA tones that stand out against the copper base, the brand’s flagship colour, typical of CUPRA's DNA” says Jordi. The idea came from experimenting with new finishes, much like the search for the perfect hue on the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar: “The overlapping layers of black paint create a fading light intensity emanating from the lamp” Francesca explains. The final shade was achieved by working layer by layer, “starting with pigments that unify the surface and then with metal particles that give it fluidity and reflections” she adds.
Chasing authenticity. “Showcars like the CUPRA DarkRebel are unique; they break with conventions and enable us to reinterpret the future through innovation, developing a design manifesto along the way” says Francesca. In the case of the Dipping Light, as they’re handmade, “each lamp is special, with its distinctive small blots depending on the ambient conditions at the time, the mixture of pigments or the drying process” says Jordi. And he adds: “That’s what makes it provocative, with an emphasis on material imperfection.”
Design obsession. Just like the CUPRA DarkRebel showcar, the joint creation of the Marset x CUPRA Dipping Light also highlights an obsession with design. The lamp, already available at CUPRA's marketplace, is one of the first items from CUPRA Design, the brand’s new standalone design house. Marset and the jewellery brand MAM are two of the companies that share CUPRA’s philosophy and have applied its unconventional challenger style to their own products. “Because design transcends cars and, like a red thread, unites us in a process of constant inspiration” concludes Francesca
