Andrea Mancuso installs LUMIAC chandelier

Andrea Mancuso’s LUMIAC was installed at Nilufar’s historic venue on Via della Spiga during Milan Design Week 2026, where the chandelier was presented as a kinetic ceiling lamp rather than a static lighting fixture. Designboom reported on May 21 that the piece moved its “robotic claws” as if it were alive, while Nilufar and Fuorisalone listings placed the installation at Via della Spiga 32 during the April 21-26 design week program. ### What exactly did Andrea Mancuso put into Nilufar’s space? LUMIAC is a chandelier designed by Andrea Mancuso that combines light, motion and electronic components in a single suspended work. Nilufar’s product listing describes it as made from cast aluminium, glass and electronic components, and says it explores the relationship between human beings and machines, “between organic gesture and artificial thought.” (designboom.com) Designboom described the object as a “living machine” and said its moving elements gave it the quality of an “active presence” in the room. That framing was echoed by other design coverage, which described the chandelier as generating its own choreography of movement and light inside the gallery. (nilufar.com) ### Why is it called LUMIAC? The name LUMIAC stands for “Light Unit Mechanized Intelligence Apparatus Computer,” according to Andrea Mancuso’s studio site and Nilufar’s materials. Both say the acronym deliberately echoes MANIAC, one of the earliest autonomous computers developed in the 1950s. That reference links the chandelier to early computational history rather than only to decorative lighting. (designboom.com) Nilufar’s description says the project connects “the decorative history of lighting with the origins of computational thinking,” while Fuorisalone’s event text says the work examines the line between human gesture and machine logic. (andreamancuso.com) ### Where was it shown, and in what setting? Nilufar presented LUMIAC inside its historic venue on Via della Spiga 32 in Milan, one of the gallery’s two main sites for Milan Design Week 2026. Nilufar’s event page says the gallery’s design week program ran from April 20 to April 26 across Via della Spiga and Nilufar Depot, while the LUMIAC solo presentation itself was listed from April 21 to April 26. (andreamancuso.com) Fuorisalone’s listing says the chandelier was accompanied by a spatial installation developed with Kriskadecor, the Spanish company known for architectural applications using aluminum chains. That means the project was presented not only as a single lighting object but as part of a larger room-scale installation inside Nilufar’s space. (nilufar.com) ### What made the piece stand out during Milan Design Week? Milan Design Week 2026 ran against a wider backdrop of craft-led presentations, according to several design publications covering the fair. In that context, LUMIAC drew attention because it introduced visible mechanics and computer-era references into a setting otherwise dominated by handmade materials and collectible design. (fuorisalone.it) Designboom’s account focused on the chandelier’s claw-like movement and its status as a ceiling lamp that appeared to act on its own. Nilufar’s own wording was more technical, describing a “choreography of light and movement” that challenged the idea of design as passive object. (nilufar.com) ### Where can readers verify the details or follow the project next? Designboom published its report on May 21, 2026, while Nilufar, Fuorisalone and Andrea Mancuso’s studio site each carry project pages identifying the work, venue and dates. Those pages list Nilufar’s address as Via della Spiga 32 in Milan and preserve the April 21-26, 2026 exhibition window for LUMIAC. (designboom.com)