“I went down a complete Alexander Calder rabbit hole,” says Workstead’s Robert Highsmith, reflecting on the genesis of the AD100 firm’s new lighting collection, Pendolo. “Looking at his mobiles, looking at his two-dimensional forms, I began to explore the distillation of movement,” he continues, wondering aloud, “How do you create implied kineticism?” Pendolo explores that tension in adjustable fixtures that honor Workstead’s long-standing interests in flexibility and tactility, all the while branching out to a bigger scale. Available in three sizes and wrapped inside and out in burlap or linen, the shades come as large as 18 inches high, requiring an embedded wire structure to maintain the illusion of weightlessness. “The cone is a very monumental form, but it’s also very hollow,” Highsmith reflects. “We wanted the shades to have real presence but also a very delicate quality.” (Impressively, that’s true whether they are upright or at a 45-degree angle.) Offered in brass, bronze, or nickel, the series includes stand-alone pendants, flush mounts, and sconces, as well as dynamic assemblages of multiple shades—the last allowing for especially flexible constellations. “We are constantly rearranging objects in our homes, but to be able to reconfigure your light fixtures is a unique aspect of our work,” notes the designer. For Workstead, which recently relocated its fabrication to a robust facility in Virginia, Pendolo kicks off a banner year of product launches. In other words, expect more balancing acts to come. workstead.com