Jean Nouvel drew inspiration from camera lenses and traffic lights to design two new products for Italian lighting manufacturer Artemide.

An elongated cylinder made of three segments, the Objective lamp calls to mind a set of camera lenses.

And just as each lens used by a photographer has a different function, each segment of the lamp emits a different type of light.

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The first radiates a soft ambient light. The second provides a more powerful spotlight that can be focused onto reading material or a work surface. Finally, the third offers a floodlight pointed directly upward.

The Equilibrist, meanwhile, consists of two lighting elements located at opposite ends of a vertical axis. The overall design calls to mind a scale or traffic signal, and the light emitted is asymmetrical and changes as the horizontal axis moves. Prices for both lamps are available on request.

A French architect of international renown, Jean Nouvel won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2008.

More information: www.artemide.com