Parkenlicht, 2008
Today, headlights are designed as integral to automobile morphology, positioned on the sides of the front–like eyes, a testimonial memory of the lanterns used to define the width of a horse drawn carriage on a dark road. An intriguing object in its own right, it embodies achievements of design and engineering; incorporating mechanics, electronics and optics with multiple materials and colours and infinite shapes and surfaces. Amidov’s fascination with the headlight began when holding such an object, with no car to distract, its complexity and volume reviled like an iceberg out of water. When transferring the headlight from its rich natural surroundings to the indoors, Amidov felt compelled to let its personal characteristics lead to a new stand-alone object. The components were reworked with an eye on typologies from the Lighting Design field. The works are part of a series of objects that emerged from a “studio study” process, reflecting on and generated from disembodied automobile headlights.
