Futuristic Foliage: Art Institute of Chicago Acquires Artemide's 8-Bit Cosmic Leaf Lamp

We've covered some innovative lamp designs before — knotted scarves and violent, Harry Potter-esque lightning bolts, for example. Artemide's Cosmic Leaf by Ross Lovegrove is right up there with them. The sinuously curving bit of foliage is crafted from transparent methacrylate. Textured with a raised pattern of scales, it diffuses light in a way that creates a strange pixelated illusion, as if it were digitally placed in your living room and taking too long to load.

As a recent addition to the permanent collection, the Cosmic Leaf is currently on view in the Art Institute of Chicago's "Rethinking Typologies" through July 29.