Kazuhide Takahama, Kaori, Sirrah 1975

Designed by Kazuhide Takahama in 1975 for Sirrah, the Kaori is part of a series of table, floor, wall and ceiling lamps, all using the same basic elements of construction—a heat-resistant fabric stretched over a light-weight aluminium support. The result is an object of ethereal beauty that defies characterisation according to genre, period or tradition. While the Kaori certainly evokes something of Takahama’s Japanese heritage, defining what that “something” is remains elusive. But perhaps it is this elusiveness itself that allows this object to be called Japanese; to magically capture the surrounding space by placing itself in relation not to “something else,” but to nothing, to empty space.

Born in Japan in 1930, Kazuhide Takahama moved to Bologna in 1963 after meeting the visionary designer and entrepreneur Dino Gavina at the Milan Triennial of 1957, with whom he maintained a long-lasting personal and professional relationship. Gavina, a key figure in the evolution and development of Italy’s design industry, became a consultant for Sirrah in 1973, radically transforming the company’s catalogue. The Kaori, Saori and Kazuki are the first series of lamps Sirrah produced under Gavina’s direction.

The Kaori 1 lamp is in perfect working order and in good overall condition. But because of its age and delicate nature, the fabric diffuser has suffered a little damage. There is a small hole where the fabric easily catches the edge of the small metal arm, as well as some small light spots and stains. It also appears that the hem (on one side) has been opened and repaired. The damage is only really perceptible up close and does not in any way diminish from the overall impression of the lamp. The Kaori can be used as a table lamp or wall lamp and has been fitted with a new E27 2.5W 250 lumen LED bulb.