"I've never stopped believing in my vision" - that's how the high-tech Povlamp was born
Leonardo Novella has spent five years developing his high-tech lamp. The Swiss designer's Kickstarter campaign, soon to be launched, will show whether the many sacrifices he has made have paid off in the end.
"How is it possible to work on a lamp for five years?" was the question a few colleagues asked themselves when we told them we were going to meet the Swiss creator of this extravagant design lamp called Povlamp. Zurich-born Leonardo Novella finally wants to bring his life's work to market via a Kickstarter campaign. Getting to this point has been a long and rocky road.
What is the Povlamp and what is special about it?
Povlamp is made up of the words Pov and Lamp. Pov stands for Persistence of Vision and can be roughly translated as persistence of vision. The lamp comprises four LED bars that rotate rapidly to create a surreal three-dimensional shade. The Povlamp can be controlled via an app and can be illuminated in different colours. The next stage in its development will be to display animations. This LED POV display concept would find an ideal application in the world of advertising. In addition to the 3D lampshade, the Povlamp also has a LED spotlight as a second light source. You can find out more about this unusual lamp and the forthcoming Kickstarter project on the website.
To fully appreciate the lamp, you need to have seen it in person. Its high price tag makes it an object primarily for aesthetes, luxury clubs and anyone else who appreciates original pieces of equipment. The exact price has not yet been fixed. There will be a special rate for Kickstarter backers. "It's an eye-catcher," confirms Leonardo during our visit. But technically, it's also at the cutting edge of technology. It is equipped with a dimmer, a programmer and can light up in different colours.
Another reason why the project took five years to develop. The engine alone gave Leonardo a lot to work with. "There's nothing comparable on the market. And I knew absolutely nothing about engines. Leonardo may be an electronics engineer by profession, but unfortunately, motors are not his speciality. The motor is the heart of the lamp and has to be absolutely silent. The rotations have a positive side effect as they generate a slight wind that cools the lamp at the same time.
A long way
The Kickstarter campaign for the Povlamp will begin in November. Leonardo hopes to raise enough money to fund global certification, buy new tools and ensure the official launch. He currently makes all his lamps by hand. His dream would be to have a real workshop, preferably with a toilet. For now, you have to improvise when the working day lasts longer.
All this is still in its infancy, however. Just to get to this point, Leonardo has had to travel a long, rocky road. "It was a design competition that opened the doors to a university in Rome that I would otherwise never have been able to finance," says Leonardo. He was informed that he was the overall winner while working on a temporary construction site. A few days later, he set off alone in his car for Rome, leaving Switzerland behind. True, Leonardo has a command of the language, but in the historic Italian capital he has no family or friends.
Studies require hard work
Studies last three years. From the outset, the university makes it clear to students that they're going to have to give it their all if they want to succeed as a designer. "I immediately saw myself as an independent designer and I always intended to design my own products," says Leonardo. That's why he's already trying to acquire clients during his studies. In his third semester, he came up with the idea that would keep him busy for the next five years. As part of a design competition, students can submit concepts for lamps to be used in Tokyo. Inspired by a YouTube video featuring rotating LED watches, Leonardo wanted to incorporate the effect created by the watches into a lamp. His training as an electronics engineer came in very handy throughout his project.
From then on, what little money he had was invested in his project. When he finished his studies, he returned to Switzerland, where he worked again as an electronics technician so that he could continue to develop his designer lamp. "All my wages went into the lamp," says Leonardo. At least all that was left after deducting daily expenses. That was at least 1500 francs a month. "A series of ten new pieces soon cost 3,000 francs," says Leonardo. To keep costs down, the designer constantly sought new solutions. "In the beginning, production was done in Sicily. A lot of things were done on the black market. I gave the money to a bus driver in Switzerland, who personally delivered it in cash to my supplier in Sicily." It wasn't possible to make a bank transfer. Later, he opted for a supplier in the Czech Republic.
"Only my mother believed in me"
I asked him if he ever doubted himself: "I still had doubts. But when you're in the thick of things, you don't worry about it. It's only when the bills come in and you have to pay tax in instalments that you realise the sacrifices you have to make. The decisive moment was when Leonardo found an investor who enabled him to go from concept to series. It was also an opportunity to have someone to talk to. "The people around you are always against you. Only my mother has always believed in me, but that's because she's my mother," says Leonardo with a smile. In Switzerland, it's difficult to be understood. "In Italy, I certainly felt alone, but over there everyone was engaged in a difficult struggle. When you fill up for five euros, nobody looks at you sideways"; in Switzerland, on the other hand, he often felt like an alien.
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Five years later, all the difficulties Leonardo has faced are finally being rewarded. In a bar in Lucerne, some of his lamps are already partly hung, and the feedback has been extremely positive. "Many visitors come especially for the lamps, and the owner has to tell the same story every time". According to Leonardo, however, she really enjoys it. The litmus test will be the Kickstarter campaign in November. Will enough interested people be seduced by Leonardo's Povlamp? We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Click here to go to the website for the Povlamp where you'll find all the additional information. And on Leo's Instagram account, you can view more striking photos.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.