Folkets Park

Folkets Park in Malmö has been a favourite destination of the city’s residents for over one hundred and twenty years. When the time came for Johan Moritz to illuminate the trees and the area alongside the park’s central pond, he drew his inspiration for the luminaire from the plants.

“It’s called Kalla, the Swedish name for the Araceae flower,” Moritz says, referring to the soft floral shape of the lamp. “I wanted to see a luminaire that was discrete, that blended in with the environment, and where the details were important. The park has a long and varied history, so I was looking for a luminaire where craftsmanship is visible in each of its components,” he continues.

The Kalla luminaire is a complex solution based on both direct and indirect light. A spotlight is fitted to the corolla to illuminate the crowns of the trees. At the root of the post is a narrow-beam ground spotlight intended to highlight the stem and the flower bud, as well as to reflect indirect and gentle light back onto the ground surrounding the plant.

There is a delicate detail between the post and the fixture – a hand-operated copper trumpet which links the stem and the flower bud to a device. The trumpet currently lights up copper red, but the wind and rain will age the metal to give the copper its characteristic verdigris patina.

Location: Folkets park, Malmö.
Client: City of Malmö.
Architect: Johan Moritz.
Lighting designer: Johan Moritz.