The M.A.D.Gallery opened its doors in Geneva’s Old Town in October 2011. The goal was never to build a chain of brand boutiques, but to find a compelling way to explain MB&F’s Horological Machines.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D.Gallery, an adventure that began in Geneva and has since spread globally—to Dubai and, in smaller “MB&F Labs” form, to Taipei, Singapore, Paris, Beverly Hills, and Menlo Park.
To mark the occasion, the gallery invited several of its mechanical artists to create exclusive limited editions. Leading the celebration is one of M.A.D.Gallery’s earliest contributors, Berlin-based designer Frank Buchwald.
“Many people perceive these objects as autonomous beings, strange yet somehow familiar. I appreciate that reaction. My intention is always to reveal the inner core of a machine, its essence. Perhaps this is what surprises viewers most, the sense that a purely mechanical object can possess something like an inner truth.“
Frank Buchwald
MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser first discovered Buchwald’s retro-futuristic Machine Lights online. Captivated, he quickly realised that each piece was entirely handmade, composed of hundreds of meticulously crafted components, and produced in extremely limited numbers, making them perfect candidates for the gallery’s mechanical art collection.
A visit to Buchwald’s Berlin workshop sealed the partnership. Housed in an old industrial building marked by wartime scars, the space was as raw and authentic as the works themselves: walls lined with sketches, workbenches crowded with lathes, welders, and hand tools, and a small wood-burning stove for the winter months. Büsser immediately recognised a shared vision, retro-futuristic, brass-and-steel, and deeply mechanical and offered to acquire the next ten Machine Lights for the gallery.
ML15 Helios – A Mechanical Sun
The centerpiece of the anniversary is the ML15 Helios, limited to just 15 pieces. Conceived as a mechanical sun, the Helios is precise, calm, and powerful, a techno-biological object that blends function and sculpture. Its three-legged construction houses electrical lighting elements that fuse technical austerity with sculptural elegance.
At its heart sits a spherical lamp, encircled by a halo reminiscent of a solar corona. Two transparent blue rings transform it into something between an eye and a scientific instrument, an object that observes, scans, and recognises, while maintaining a distinctly solar presence.
Buchwald’s design process is as meticulous as his construction. Ideas sometimes arrive fully formed, but more often begin with a blank sheet. He works openly, letting impulses guide sketches, interactions, and refinements.
Production is a painstaking, hands-on process. Every component, including laser-cut elements, receives manual reworking. Proportions are continuously refined, and adjustments to materials are made until every detail is perfect. Depending on complexity, each Machine Light can take weeks to complete, with much of the time devoted not to assembly, but to fine-tuning.
The ML15 Helios is not just a lamp, it is a rare mechanical sculpture, a solar entity, and a testament to the precision, artistry, and vision that define the M.A.D.Gallery universe.
Technical Specifications:
ML15 Helios
Limited edition of 15 pieces
Dimensions: Width: 350mm x Height: 440mm – Depth: 460mm
Weight: 9kg
Materials: Stainless steel with brass elements
Electrical wiring with flexible stainless steel tubes
Light Bulb: Globe bulb, 120mm diameter, with dimmable LED ring
Cable: Silver textile cable
Additional features: Two blue diffuser rings, a blue illuminated switch, and a head section adjustable 45° to the right and 45° to the left (total 90°).
For more information please visit M.A.D.Gallery