Ingo Maurer: Tea Strainer

I’m fascinated by everyday things, especially objets trouvés like this strainer. I always use one to make my tea. Its clear, self-evident function results in a surprisingly interesting form. For 20 years, I had this ingenious form in mind as a component for a lamp, but it was only in 1996 that I realized it under the name Mozzkito. The strainer’s sieve contains a halogen bulb, which suits its form perfectly: heat-resistant, translucent, openable and, thanks to the coiled spring, functional as a joint. Bead-tipped stalks were easily affixed to the sieve’s mesh to protect it from heat. With Mozzkito, I hope we’ve been able to focus a little more attention on such an underappreciated object as this tea strainer.

Ingo Maurer (born 1932) has been designing lamps and light systems since 1966, manufacturing them in his own company and distributing them worldwide. His best-known designs include Bulb , the low-voltage halogen system YaYaHo (1984) and the winged light bulb Lucellino .