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Luminaire Project
I began to learn to pay attention to detail. To really consider what surrounds us. Not only do we begin to notice the small things in everyday life, but I became aware that we are surrounded by inspiration.
For my luminaire project, I wanted to create a luminaire that can create a soft light for people who are affected by the sharp artificial lights that are often found in their homes. I also wanted to create a calm and natural feel to the luminaire to give an escape from what everyday life may be for people living in crowded cities such as New York, where there is a lack of calmness and connection with nature.
My luminaire was heavily influenced by the research from the early projects this semester, starting with the lighting journal. From this assignment, I began to pay much more attention to the contact I have with light on an everyday basis and what its effect on me is.
I was asked to keep a photo journal of all the interactions I have with light, no matter what type, throughout the day. In addition to the photo journal, I decided to write down how each interaction made me feel, both physically and emotionally. This allowed me to pay closer attention to the effect that light can have on me.
PROCESS
To create this lamp I used wood bending techniques. To do that, I needed bending ply, which is essentially a thin pliable strip of plywood that you cut to your desired shape and length. To create the thickness of each piece, I added several layers of the bending ply on to each other and glued them.
Once that initial process was done, each piece was placed on top of the mold I had created prior, which gave the bending ply the exact curvature I wanted. To actually get the wood to bend, the pieces, on top of the mold, were placed inside a vacuum-sealed bag for several hours until the wood was molded.
Being one of the first woodwork projects I have ever done, I am proud of the result. Wood bending was a really fun process to learn and now that I know about it, it opens up many possibilities to utilize wood in different ways.
One thing that I would like to improve for the future is making the lamp not look as stiff, due to the rectangular shape. Similar to the ocean, I would’ve also liked to portray the waves through a more organic shape for the lamp. However, due to it being one of my first times woodworking, that is still more advanced for me, yet it is something I want to keep getting practice on so I can achieve it.