Evokes the soft and majestic forms of a whale

It seems to surface gently from the depths of the ocean to bring its warm and tender light into our living spaces. Between light design and marine biology: Ambientec presents “Cachalot”, the new portable lamp designed by Yoshiki Matsuyama. Cachalot is an evocative and symbolic object, while perfectly grasping its essential and familiar form. This portable lamp can be freely placed on a shelf, among books, on an end table, or surrounded by other favorite objects.

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Cachalot by Yoshiki Matsuyama for Ambientec
Photo credit: ph Yume Takakura

“As a child, I was enchanted by the whales and cetaceans in picture books and adventure novels. Today as a designer I find the shape of these ocean creatures fascinating: powerful and fluid, yet also warm and gentle. It is this majesty imbued with sweetness that I hoped to convey with Cachalot. Its soft light spreads into the night and makes time seem to slow down - just like how a whale moves through the depths of a silent sea, creating an atmosphere of peace and quiet.”


Designer Yoshiki Matsuyama.

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Cachalot by Yoshiki Matsuyama for Ambientec
Photo credit: ph Yume Takakura

Cachalot is a sculptural light, a fine example of the synthesis of cutting-edge illumination technology, precise artisan craftsmanship and high-quality materials that sets Ambientec apart, along with its poetic design. Yoshinori Kuno, CEO and founder of the brand, asked Yoshiki Matsuyama to develop a concept for a zoomorphic lamp. Drawing on his own personal experience, the designer turned to the shape of a whale. Unconsciously, his idea intersected with the passion for the seas that has always been part of Ambientec’s identity. In his early entrepreneurial days Kuno created RGBlue, a brand of professional lights for underwater photography still synonymous with excellence. Now with Ambientec, his visionary spirit has brought that technical know-how into the world of design, creating wireless and rechargeable waterproof lamps.

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Cachalot by Yoshiki Matsuyama for Ambientec
Photo credit: ph Yume Takakura

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Cachalot by Yoshiki Matsuyama for Ambientec
Photo credit: ph Yume Takakura

About Ambientec

The Japanese light design brand was launched in 2009. Founder and CEO Yoshinori Kuno had previously created AOI Japan Co., Ltd. in 1999, specializing in the production of protective underwater cases for professional photography equipment and, later, a full line of professional lighting for underwater photography under the RGBlue brand, still a synonym for high quality today. This technology, and the know-how necessary for the development of portable gear able to resist high water pressure at extreme depths while still providing excellent light, represented a body of knowledge that Yoshinori Kuno brought into the world of design. Ambientec was created to explore new frontiers in portable lighting for everyday spaces: from outdoors to the bath, from the home to the elegant café.

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Cachalot by Yoshiki Matsuyama for Ambientec
Photo credit: ph Yume Takakura

Yoshiki Matsuyama

His product designs tend towards calm, warm and symbolic forms, in harmony with everyday life and the beauty of nature. He also works in the electronics industry and is involved in various areas of industrial design, from household appliances to equipment for public spaces.

Yoshinori Kuno

His fascination with light began early. After working in digital imaging, he followed his passion for the depths of the ocean and began research into the field of professional lighting for underwater photography. Challenges included making equipment that would resist water pressure at depths of up to 100 meters, and complete waterproofing. The rise of modern devices led him to reflect on ways to move beyond the “disposable” mentality of the culture of mass production and toward a more honest, balanced and sustainable relationship between people and objects. In the wake of the earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, he decided to create a new kind of indoor lamp, one that people could take with them into any space or setting. A visionary concept of a portable, indestructible, reliable light with integrated LED technology that would also be comfortable and charming. A poetic sort of light is at the heart of all Ambientec’s designs, one that is never harsh or cold, but that carries on a friendly dialogue with the space it illuminates.