46|PROTAGONISTA tion for the design of this series come? Antoni Arola: Very simple. From a curious LEDs plate that fell into my hands. It was like a new light sour- ce, instead of having bulbs or light spots it had square meters of light. We can cut to the size and shape we want. And with this new wonder we have a very simple form: small rectangles. Perhaps, in the begin- ning, with a premise that the sour- ce should not be seen, that would always remain hidden, that wasn’t the protagonist, as always. And for the rest of his works, which inspired Antoni Arola to design? Antoni Arola: There are many sour- ces of inspiration. Some in particu- lar...no idea. But sometimes there is not much, just a material, a sug- gestion ... The challenge is to make simple things, then inspiration is as simple as the things themselves. To find simple inspiration is also very difficult, because it is so obvious, we have everything in front, it is hard to catch it. They are pretty basic. Nina Masó, editor of Santa & Cole, what is the process from the first sketch to the final pro- duct, the one which is sent to shops? Nina Massó: It depends a little on the lamp. Normally, Toni calls me, for example, and says he has some- thing to show me. They are usually some drawings or renderings. Toni draws very well, he makes very nice renders. The imagination goes further when you see them. And if we see that the idea is good, it is suggestive, it is also a way and is a gap in the catalogue, we get to work. From the starting renders we go to more logical drawings, prototypes. We make some regular visits, we come to Toni’s studio and he comes to our premises too. And within the technical department we begin to develop that product. At Santa & Cole’s there an editorial committee consisting of several em- ployees of the company, where the product is exposed and, in principle, if everyone seems to like and if it brings something new to Santa & Cole’s catalogue, the development continues. Well, then you just see how the prototype grows. There comes a time when it becomes a pre-set and then in a series. Then appears in the catalogue and it is presented to the public. Toni ArolA, According To SAnTA & cole Antoni Arola was born in Tarragona in 1960 and currently lives in Barcelona. He studied at the Escuela Superior de Diseño Eina (Eina Higher School of Design and Art) in Barcelona, and in 1984 began his professional career at the Estudio Liévore y Pensi. He subsequently joined the company AD Associate Designers and in 1994 foun- ded Estudi Arola. He has undertaken artistic projects in a wide variety of fields, including lighting for Santa & Cole, Viabizzuno and Metalarte, pieces of furniture and perfume bottles, as well as interior design projects and exhibitions. His professional career is divided between tea- ching, workshops, artistic experimentation and research into light. His continuous and unending search for beauty, inspired in ancestral cultures and his unique vision of light, lend him a singular versatility which filters through into every project. His work has been shown in individual and collec- tive exhibitions in Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, London, Mexico, New York and Tokyo, among other cities. Arola has been awarded numerous prizes, inclu- ding two Silver Delta Design Awards, in 1999 and 2001, the National Design Prize in 2003, the 2009 I-plus Award (for best lighting), and the Red Dot Award 2012.