Jorn Utzon (designer)

Born in Copenhagen and raised in Aalborg, Jorn Utzon (1918 – 2008) became fascinated by the design and construction of ships from an early age – a passion which would later inform his practice as an architect and designer. Due to his father’s work as a ship engineer and boat builder, Utzon derived much of his creative inspiration from the waterfront and the large, nautical constructions that populated it. Witnessing the industrial utility of these colossal forms played a pivotal role in forming Utzon’s personal expression and almost every project he took on.

Utzon is perhaps best-known for his work designing the Sydney Opera House in the 1960s. An impressive construction where the façade appears to change from any given angle and 60-metre-high semi-curves extend towards the harbour, this iconic structure exemplifies Utzon’s organic concept of architecture and expressive sculptural style. 
 
The Utzon pendant was designed over a decade before Utzon worked on the Opera House, and drew inspiration from his father’s naval engineering drawings of ships. Beneath the simplicity of its modular form, each angular component of the Utzon pendant comes together to create a lamp with a profound architectural presence.