Nicolas Aubagnac
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BABYLONE
_lamp
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Babylone sur Hudson
contemporary architecture
La lampe Babylone est sculptée dans le parchemin et l’ébène de Macassar.
It borrows its architectural silhouette from the skyscrapers of great architects, here one of the latest creations of Herzog and de Meuron in New York.
L’alternance des deux matériaux crée un jeu « cubiste » très graphique qui fait écho au jeu de facettes de verre et de béton de cette tour spectaculaire.
plaquage d’ébène de Macassar
patinated steel base
lampshade: taffeta
The nobility of the parchment
The Babylon lamp showcases parchment, which requires the expertise of a master cabinetmaker to prepare the parchment skins, select them, cut them, and then glue them onto the piece of furniture. Originally, parchment was used as a writing material before the invention of paper. Succeeding papyrus, the primary writing medium in the West until the 7th century, parchment was used extensively throughout the Middle Ages, particularly by monks who devoted much of their time to creating illuminated manuscripts. It is thanks to parchment that the great philosophical, scientific, and political texts of Greek and Roman antiquity were preserved and disseminated throughout Europe.
We primarily use goat parchment sourced in France. The hides are patiently cleaned in a lime bath, then polished and whitened with pumice and chalk powder. Before a piece of parchment can be worked, it must be moistened to restore its suppleness. This allows it to be used for covering curved shapes.
