Maap
With Maap, designer Erwan Bouroullec realises a long-held ambition: to create a broad, immersive surface of light. Geometry provides the starting point, yet each installation introduces an element of unpredictability, as the diffuser must be crumpled by hand, forming a microstructure that stabilises the lamp and brings it to life.
Developed over an extended period, Maap resisted conventional materials and even traditional technical drawings. Bouroullec’s longstanding fascination with ultra-thin materials guided the process.
"Maap is the realization of a long-held desire to create expansive light sources that diffuse illumination across a broad surface. This results in a subtle, immersive glow that surrounds you, spreading softly and evenly." Erwan Bouroullec
An alchemical wall installation
Maap is a generously sized wall lamp. It consists of a luminous element with four LED bulbs and a cross-shaped support that magnetically anchors the distinctive diffusive shell. The cover is available in three sizes (Wall 1, Wall 2, and Wall 3) depending on how many lighting units are mounted on the wall. At its maximum extension, Maap can span over 3 metres, transforming the wall into a luminous field.
Designed to be shaped
Rooted in a simple human gesture, Maap might equally be called Maak, as it draws from the primal human act of making. It responds to our innate inclination to create and to shape objects in response to their context.
Embracing our attraction to free forms, it evokes endless interpretations, from map to landscape or even an enlarged cellular structure. It is the result of making: partly uncontrolled, instinctive and alive.
How to install Maap
When crumpled, the diffuser takes on unique, organic configurations. Each installation becomes distinct, shaped directly by the user’s hands. Lightness remained paramount, reflecting a conscious approach to material use.
The surface attaches to the metal “skeleton” through large magnetic buttons known as the Dots, positioned at the four light sources. These elements stabilise the shell while allowing endless reshaping.
