Claypaky: 50 years of innovation and still pushing forward

Five Decades of Innovation, Italian Craftsmanship and Light on the World Stage

It was on 28 August 1976 that Pasquale “Paky” Quadri – a promising young musician from an early age and passionate about photography and optics – founded the company in the province of Bergamo, northern Italy, with an idea that was anything but obvious at the time: light could be much more than illumination. In an era when stage lighting was primarily descriptive and functional, fixtures were largely static, with little or no connection to music or movement and almost no possibility of creating dynamic visual effects. Colour changes, when used, were generally achieved by manually inserting gel filters. Paky saw a different future: light could become an active creative element, capable of moving, transforming, interacting with music and, above all, generating emotion.

Fifty years later, that intuition has become a global success story. From its headquarters in Seriate, Claypaky has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading names in professional entertainment lighting. Its products have illuminated all the most important stages, concerts, theatres, television productions and international events of the past five decades. The anniversary is therefore more than a celebration of longevity. It is a moment to look back at a history shaped by technological firsts, Italian craftsmanship and a constant ability to anticipate the evolution of the lighting industry.