38|REPORTAJE In his own words, Paniagua started with the most “ancient”, candle light in candelabras. Later, he star- ted working with the technology availa- ble at the time. “Incandescence, there was not much more”, adds the luminous sculptor. He does not like fluorescent nor cold light; he thinks it is too dim. We ask Víctor Paniagua about his re- lationship with the new technologies. “I am not convinced with LED”, he states. “It lacks that spark that I find in incan- descent and halogen light, even though advances are being made in its warmth” he points out. “And it lacks glow, for my taste”, he adds. His source of inspiration is life, everything that surrounds him. “I start getting inspired as soon as I see the space or meet the people that commis- sioned me for the job. From then on, I start turning it around: personality, tastes, and surroundings. Many times I get my inspiration from the interior of the house, others from the exterior so I can bring it inside, establishing com- munication between the interior and the exterior. And from there...inspiration”, he says. Singular sculptures for singular spaces We ask Victor Paniagua which has been the most surprising space he has worked on. “A chapel”, he explains. A chapel converted into a kitchen. “I had to relearn a technic I did not know: me- tal embossing, very artisan, to achieve a XVIII, very baroque effect. It was a cha- llenge. I had a very specific goal: do an imitation with today’s lighting that would integrate perfectly to the surroundings”, points out Paniagua. Another singular space: a corridor. “It was huge and I covered it with a sort of spider web on the roof. The lamp was like small wrappings imitating what spiders do to the flies they catch. It was a little disturbing and impressive, mostly due to the space”. How long does it take you to create one of your luminous sculptures? We ask. “I do not know”, he admits. Each work is a new challenge that implies new difficulties. When he worked with a material like wire, some lamps took a six months. “Each lamp has a different gestation period”, he explains. Víctor Paniagua does his luminous sculptures in a diversity of materials. Right now he is in a “very metallic” mo- ment but he would like to experiment with plastic. “I began with materials that I found in nature: wood, stone, crystals, etc. Later, while living in Berlin I began a squarer stage and entered the field of metals: industrial screws, hardware, etc. Now I believe that the field of plastic could be very interes- ting; you can have color and flexibility. I work in an artisanal way and with plastic I can have an amount of flexibi- lity that metal cannot offer me”. We have spoken about private spaces. What about public spaces? “They are candy”, points out Víctor Paniagua. “In a large space like a hotel, for example, you have more chance of letting your imagination fly: sizes, materials and more”. He would like to collaborate with a chain of hotels. Paniagua’s sculptures are made out of metal and they are easy to maintain. They do not break or change with time. “I use semi-noble metals that withs- tand oxygen like aluminum, copper and brass”. To clean just use a feather duster or better yet, a hairdryer”. Proyecto Sara Folch Interior Design.