by mark mckenna.
DEK4 (designer emulation kit 4) is based on achille castiglioni’s toio lamp, which was designed in 1962. the original was based around a car headlight reflector and fishing pole parts and was one of castiglioni’s “readymade” designs, meaning it incorporated utilitarian objects into an artistic design.

mckenna admits that this is the second DEK to be based on castiglioni’s designs, the other being the DEK2 arco lamp kit. “But the fact remains that he was both prolific and a genius,” mckenna adds.

all designer emulation kits run off of a standard 9 volt battery. one 9 volt battery should last for about 120 hours of use. all DEKs use led lighting giving them the ability to stay relatively cool and also allowing for operation around room temperature. led lighting has a life expectancy of five and half years of constant use.