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A rock star of contemporary lighting design, the Labasso series pays tribute to the beauty of slate and to Pyrenean crafting traditions.
Ancient traditions and the raw charm of natural slate have inspired French designer Silas Chermant to create an unusual and exclusive lighting series that is as much a celebration of the beauty of the Pyrenees as it is a masterful take on contemporary lighting design. Made with locally sourced slate from one of France’s few remaining slate quarries, the Labasso collection casts the natural rock in a more glamorous light. Unlike the smooth, perfect tiles used for roofs, these slate table and floor lamps accentuate the distinctive features and variations of the natural material in an homage to the beauty of imperfection. One-of-a-kind, every Labasso lamp is carefully shaped by hand to highlight the rugged character of slate.
With most of France’s slate quarries closed in the 20th century, the series also aims to revive the rich mineral heritage of the designer’s native Labassère region. The name of the collection drives this point home, with “Labasso” translating to “slate stone” in the local dialect. Working with Ardoisière des Pyrénées, or the Pyrenees Slate Quarry, Silas Chermant explores the beauty of slate while providing an ingenious solution to diversify the uses of this abundant material. The project involved months of research and prototypes to maximize the potential of slate, resulting in minimalist, modern and simply remarkable designs that double as rock sculptures.
Crafted by hand from single blocks of slate, the angular lamps emphasize not only the characteristics of the natural material, including its fissility, but also the techniques used to extract the rock from the Pyrenees mountains. For example, the Unique lamps feature organic shapes created by splitting the rock, resulting in sculptural lighting with asymmetrical forms. In the Table lamp series, the slate takes on a monolithic character. Even more impressive thanks to their larger scale, the floor lamps display a rich tapestry of textures and fascinating details. Other lamps feature speckles of quartz that give a brilliant accent to the dark slate.
The Labasso collection comprises limited-edition lamps that put slate in a new light while honoring local traditions and the heritage of French slate quarries. Silas Chermant’s research into the potential of slate and sustainable manufacturing methods continues well beyond this lighting series, however. The designer currently explores the use of slate powder in 3D printing and ceramic glazing, as well as the creation of mineral glass from slate, the latter project developed in collaboration with the Rennes Institute of Chemical Sciences / CNRS, and Jean-Marie Rimbault, a Pyrenean glassblower. Photographs© Silas Chermant.
