Pure flexibility: A red rope zigzags through the room
A red cable zigzags through the room as if stretched into position by a parkour runner. In Funivia, Carlotta de Bevilacqua has designed a lightweight floating system of illumination. The cable provides power to moveable lights, with the electricity supplied through bridging elements that connect to the terminals. If the lights are repositioned, the durable, flexible Kevlar polyethylene sleeve simply seals up again. Its elements look like the cabins on a cable car, hence the name Funivia, which is Italian for cable car.
Funivia is sustainable
Using a single supply point, the system can be installed as desired in the space. If use of the space changes because of new furniture or because an office becomes a lounge for instance, the lights can simply be repositioned along the cable without damaging the system. And there was no need to develop a new light for it either – Funivia uses established lights from the Artemide collection, such as the A.24, Vector and Sharp, saving material and energy that would otherwise be invested in new production lines. And there’s also no need for large cardboard packaging when the lighting system is being shipped – the cable simply rolls up tight.
Funivia offers freedom
This flexible lighting network can solve even the trickiest lighting issues. Whether it’s being used in high spaces or on sloping walls, the flexibility offered by the cable’s installation and the ease with which lighting elements can be moved mean that illumination is provided exactly where it is needed. The system is suitable for every application – in professional and domestic settings alike. Each light can be individually controlled via the Artemide app.
Funivia tells a story
Funivia’s creator, Carlotta de Bevilacqua, designed it for her late husband Ernesto Gismondi. Artemide’s founder came from Sanremo and he loved the town’s cable car. It was built in 1936 and ran from the town centre via four stops to the top of Monte Bignone (1,299 m). Covering a distance of 7,645 metres, at the time it was the longest cable car in the world. Its final section spanned 1,742 metres and provided the model for other installations in northern Europe and the United States.
It took 20 minutes to transport passengers up an altitude of 1,200 metres. In 1965 the cable car celebrated its 400,000th trip, having carried over two million passengers in 28 years of accident-free operation. The legendary cable car was closed to the public in 1981 for maintenance but was not decommissioned. Although the cable car has been out of operation for 20 years now, all its support towers and stations remain. There is still a hope that at some point it will connect the sea and the mountains once more.
