Design Strategist
Handmade in Italy by artisans outside of Florence the new Material Lust Lighting Collection expands the Geometry is God furniture collection released in 2014. The line is driven by a fascination with Pagan and Alchemical symbolism and ancient geometries. With this series, we have attempted to reinterpret these markings without losing the potency of their primary aesthetic.
A dramatic new chandelier created by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
with the support and expertise of Swarovski is lighting up the
entrance to the King’s Grand Apartments at the Palace of Versailles.
The award-winning designers created a majestic chandelier made
of Swarovski crystal whose sweeping grace and modern lines
integrate harmoniously with the historically charged location. The
piece, which is over 12 metres high, is suspended in loops from
the ceiling like a luminous transparent chain.
It comprises three interlacing strands, each made of hundreds of Swarovski crystals illuminated by luminous LED light-sources which diffuse a gentle,
continuous and encircling light. These immense, supple lines form
an organic design ruled by the laws of gravity which each viewer
will experience differently as they gradually ascend the two flights
of steps of the Staircase.
To create the chandelier, the designers chose crystal, the material
traditionally used in the making of chandeliers for ceremonial
rooms, in order to establish a strong link between the past and the
present.
They called upon the expertise and technological mastery
of Swarovski, the prestigious Austrian crystal business, which has a
longstanding collaborative relationship with the brothers and has
supported the Palace of Versailles for more than 30 years.
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s creation is a delicate yet complex
alliance of crystal and innovative lighting, two areas in which
Swarovski has long become the point of reference. The project
forms part of Swarovski’s major programme of cultural support and
ongoing patronage of art and design.
Daan Roosegaarde 2014 from Richelle Sibolboro on Vimeo.
Artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde discusses technology and its ability to translate poetic spaces derived from nature.
This year’s concept spaces will spotlight iconic lighting brands from around the world. See the Light will feature lighting as the driving force behind the interior design of a space, rather than a complementary addition to a room. Design studios have partnered with top lighting manufacturers to create four very unique spaces.
WilliamsCraig Inc. is a progressive, multidisciplinary design studio based in Toronto. Founded by Karen Williams and Joelle Craig, the studio’s portfolio includes residential, corporate, hospitality and retail projects. WilliamsCraig
has created a unique identity to this space offering a modern yet rugged interior with elegant pendants shinning their own light.
28.280 is a massive vertical installation by Vancouver-based designer Omer Arbel. Located in the main atrium of the Victoria and Albert Museum for the 2013 London Design Festival, the exhibition features lighting by Canadian design brand Bocci.
The intent of the installation is twofold; On the one hand, it is a pure celebration of the monumental open height of the building, which uses light to crystallize a powerful phenomenological experience for the viewer. On the other hand, it is the most ambitious exploration to date of a novel glass blowing technique.
28 is an exploration of a fabrication process – part of Arbel’s and Bocci’s quest for specificity. Instead of designing form itself, here the intent was to design a system that haphazardly yields form, almost as a byproduct
28 pendants result from a complex glass blowing technique whereby air pressure is introduced into and then removed from a glass matrix which is intermittently heated and then rapidly cooled.
280 of these discreet 28 units will be hung within a 30 meter vertical drop, suspended by a novel, perhaps awkward and heavy copper suspension system, that promises to have as much presence or more than the glass it supports.
The result is a distorted spherical shape with a composed collection of inner shapes, one of which is made of opaque milk glass and houses a light source.
Philippe Starck describes the concepts behind this latest lamps for Italian manufacturing firm Flos.
Montreal-based designer Tat Chao has created IN VITRO, an upcycled collection that takes the beauty of glassware and crystal and transforms them into new pieces. The handmade items were carefully chosen from second-hand shops and then were assembled with a simple bounding adhesive. The ensemble demonstrates the ‘Slow Design’ trend, exhibiting the rebirth from the damaged.
BIPOLAR pendant light was created from a pair of champagne flutes without their base. An anodized aluminum ring wraps a strip of LED in the middle. The diverse shapes range in size and colour from 6″ to 16″ long.
The Loligo chandeliers are made of wine glasses without their tops. The crystal and glass pieces are connected together at their circular rims. A LED light illuminates from the center of the piece producing a layers of brilliance and radiance.
The following candle holders are made from the broken pieces from the BIPOLAR collection. No piece goes to waste in the creation of the overall composition.
The glass bottoms, from the pendants are made into spinning tops and playful toy yo-yos.
British design and manufacturing company Tom Dixon has design GEM. Part of the Rough and Smooth collection, presented at this year’s 2013 Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy, like a mysterious chemistry experiment FLASK is a spherical object made up of two, hand-blown, glass components, with a ridged and rounded base and a smoked-glass hood.
British design and manufacturing company Tom Dixon has design GEM. Part of the Rough and Smooth collection, presented at this year’s 2013 Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy, the series comprises angular lights, tables and mirrors, sand cast from nickel-plated aluminum, taking inspiration from the faces of cut gemstones.
