Cirq Pendant Light | Blackjack Lighting

Cirq takes a ring of light and turns it on its side. Instead of lying flat under the ceiling like a halo, the satin nickel band hangs vertically on two fine suspension cables, so you see it as a drawn circle in the air. The ring is not quite closed: a small break at the top, where the cables meet it, keeps the form open and makes the circle feel drawn by hand rather than stamped.

The light runs around the inside of the band through a rounded, custom acrylic light guide, which glows along its whole length and sends illumination out in all directions. From the side the fixture is just an inch deep, a thin metal line; from the front it is a full glowing loop. Hung singly it is a quiet sculpture; in a row of two or three, at the same or staggered heights, the open circles start to read like a sequence of letters.

Design notes

• A line of light: the rounded acrylic light guide glows around the full ring, giving an even, all-directional light with no visible source.
• Upright geometry: the ring hangs vertically, so the circle is seen whole from across the room instead of foreshortened overhead.
• The open circle: a small gap at the top of the band, where the two cables attach, keeps the ring visually light and open.
• Two scales: 13.25 in (33.7 cm) or 18.25 in (46.3 cm) across, each just 1 in (2.5 cm) deep.
• Satin Nickel: a soft, brushed metal finish that reflects the glow of the light guide along the edges of the band.

Specifications

Downloads

• Cirq 13 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Cirq 18 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Cirq 13 in installation instructions (PDF)
• Cirq 18 in installation instructions (PDF)
• Cirq 13 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Cirq 18 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)

Stephen Blackman and Blackjack Lighting

Blackjack Lighting is the studio of industrial designer Stephen Blackman, its President and Chief Design Officer. Trained in industrial design at Syracuse University, Blackman began his lighting career in 1984 at Sonneman Design Group, then founded Blackman Design Associates in 1988, designing decorative and architectural lighting for manufacturers including Kichler. He launched Blackjack in 2013 in suburban Chicago, now based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, to build fixtures conceived for LED from the first sketch.

His argument is that the LED should change the shape of a light, not just its efficiency. Rather than hiding a new source inside old bulb-and-shade forms, Blackjack designs around the small, flat, cool-running LED: thin discs, slim rods, glowing rings and lenses that let the light itself become the object. In his own words, "Decorative lighting by its nature is not primarily about optimizing lamp efficiency, it is primarily about decoration!" Cirq is one of the clearest examples: a glowing ring that could only exist because the source is a slim LED and light guide rather than a bulb.

Questions

What is the idea behind Cirq?

A ring of light shown in profile. Standing the band on edge and leaving it slightly open turns a familiar halo form into a graphic circle that reads from across the room.

Who is behind Blackjack Lighting?

Industrial designer Stephen Blackman, President and Chief Design Officer, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 to make fixtures conceived for LED.

13 in or 18 in?

The 13 in ring is the more intimate piece, suited to a single accent or a close-set group. The 18 in gives more than twice the light (1,330 lm against 637 lm) and holds its own as a solo sculpture in a larger room.

How does the light look, and can it be dimmed?

The acrylic light guide glows evenly around the ring and sends light in all directions, at 3000K with 90 CRI. Both sizes dim on a standard 120V TRIAC dimmer.

What warranty does it carry?

Three years on the integrated LED source and LED power supply, and one year on materials and workmanship, for the original buyer in the US and Canada.