Light show

A classic Danish design endures, almost 30 years after it was first issued.

The 1980s has something of an ill-deserved reputation for design. There might be some things we’d like to forget, but the decade also produced some quite lovely modern classics – including the handmade ‘Swing VIP’ lamp, by the late Jørgen Gammelgaard for Pandul, from 1983.

Made from aluminium and steel, the lamp has a multi-adjustable shade, which increases the way it can be used and lends the product several identities. The shade is hand made in aluminium, the arm is brushed stainless steel and it comes in black or white. Gammelgaard started out as a cabinetmaker, before studying at the Danish Royal Academy, where he worked under Poul Kjærholm and Ole Wanscher, and was later appointed professor of design. He went on to work in the studios of Arne Jacobsen, Mogens Koch, Steen Eiler Rasmussen and Jørgen Bo. Gammelgaard and Pandul had a fruitful collaboration – they first worked together in 1971 on the TipTop lamp series, inspired by his time working in Samoa for the United Nations.

The collection also includes floor, wall and mini versions – all of which have the same multi-adjustable head – and in 1985 he designed the last piece, the ‘VIP Table’ lamp, which was immediately recognised for its architectural qualities. The collection, including the ‘Swing VIP’, is still in production today, albeit with minor tweaks and improvements over the years. It’s an enduring design, both classic and functional.