KPM+ Tadan Horse Power

Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin , in collaboration with Tadan, has created the two-part work “Horse Power.” The starting point for these two one-of-a-kind pieces are the porcelain figurines “Centaur and Nymph” and “Triton Embracing a Nereid” by Paul Scheurich (1883–1945).
The porcelain figures were left in the condition found in the archive. Thus, material losses, firing cracks, and missing sections were not restored but accepted as part of the objects’ history. The housings for the white figures are steel structures custom-made by Vinter Design, whose formal reference to classic table lamps is evident only in their silhouette: The surfaces are finished with silver-colored Ferrari paint (“Aluminio Lucido”), and the integrated lighting technology is not designed for practical illumination. Rather, it serves to accentuate the sculptural appearance. At the same time, the larger of the two objects, “Centaur and Nymph,” is so massive that it distorts the conventional relationship between the lamp and the space into absurd proportions.
“Horse Power” straddles the boundaries between historical porcelain sculpture, installation, and lighting. The works use light not in the sense of functional product design, but as a means of shifting perception, scale, and expectations of use. The objects retain their sculptural character while simultaneously entering an expanded realm of meaning.
Both works are one-of-a-kind pieces.