DES 100 - Cut Light
Project Brief/Introduction
Designing and fabricating an original lamp based on a chosen mood board, using an A3 sheet of double-lined card and laser cutting as the method of fabrication.
Mood Board / Inspiration
Provided mood board - introduction to organic shapes
Image sources linked at https://pin.it/4WlcPB0
Taking the principles of organic shapes from above and curating a mood board focused on cell structure, corals, and sea sponges. Taking inspiration from this, I particularly wanted to work with layers, perforations, and light/shadow play.
Image sources linked at https://pin.it/53pi8wj
Ideation
Based on the mood board and focus points above, I want to make a small bedside table and/or decorative lamp. It is not intended to be bright enough to give enough light for reading or to light a room, but rather add a soft, warm hue for late nights, creating interesting patterns and a focal point. The most important part of the design is the light dispersion, I want it to come through the perforations, making the lamp look like a piece of coral or sea sponge that is lit up from the inside, projecting a nice, soft glow.
Left to right: thinking about how to let light through the material/light dispersion; coral and sea sponge patters, coming up with the first prototype and how to make it structurally sound; considering light placement and adjusting the design, pieces to be cut.
Iteration
One
Fabricating the first design based on my sketches. Pieces were assembled using a mix of structural elements and hot glue.
Likes: pattern is satisfying to look at; looks great from the front/45 degree angle (6); round shape draws likeness to sea sponge, connects well to mood board
Learnings: doesn't disperse light through perforations at all; interlocking mechanism (using the straight pieces to connect) is not very stable as it doesn't connect the middle pieces and the card is too pliable; doesn't yet have an outlet for the light & cable
Feedback: doesn't really scream "lamp"; light will just get lost; love the idea; shape leans too much towards geometric, make it more random/organic
Two
A different method of assembly, using interlocking pieces for more stability and a more cohesive/seamless design.
Likes: much more stable; looks more cohesive; doesn't require use of adhesives
Learnings: gaps are still too big, add more pieces?; the lamp's arc should be the same from all angles to look like a dome; make space for a cable by giving it a lifted base
Feedback: can you flip the perforated pieces so that the light comes out towards the top?; change orientation for better light dispersion; change cutouts to more organic shapes; how will the light disperse?; looking unfinished/unintentional with the big gaps, as they are not the focal point but rather a byproduct of the design; think about changing to something that doesn't require the construction of a dome-like object using a 2D method of fabrication
Three
Repurposing the pieces to create a stacked design - applying the feedback on orientation of the pieces and light dispersion.
Likes: starting to get somewhere towards the soft glow and better orientation for light coming through the cutouts
Learnings: while reshaping the card to be able to make a circular shape with it works, it doesn't produce very clean results and is not really possible with more complex shapes > find another method of assembly & adding height; light pointing up creates discomfort, as from certain angles looking at the lamp it will shine directly into the viewers eyes through one of the cutouts
Feedback: the hot glue makes it look messy; too geometrical; think about pointing the light down not up; can you change the design to make the most of the shadows that the pattern will produce?
How does the light disperse? Playing with different orientations and effects; the shadows are an interesting addition to the light and I want to continue to make them the focal point. (3) shows well that having the light pointing down at the surface that the lamp sits on, creates great shadow play around its base.
Creating an angle with the perforated surface to shine the light through onto its base.
More ideas. Left to right: starting to think about layering and what that would look like; using internal structure to manipulate the light dispersion, how to get light shining down; coming back to the basic structures and shapes of coral reefs and sponges, temporary multipurpose idea; re-creating the shape of tube sponges, where to place the light & light cutout, exchangeable patterns, changing the overall base shape of the lamp from circular to more organic, drawing on the "squiggly" shape of corals.
Four
Putting the above feedback and ideas into practice.
Likes: nice soft glow, light is concentrated in one direction, nice and compact "feeling" like a bedside table lamp
Learnings: not aesthetically pleasing, the angle doesn't create as much of a pattern as intended
Feedback: too round/geometric; doesn't live up to the potential shadow play it could produce; clunky design that lost the coral-like intricacy
Five
Using the layering approach with a coral/sponge-like shape and more organically shaped cutouts.
Likes: aesthetically pleasing; clear connection to mood board; organic shape; overlap makes the structure very solid
Learnings: as each layer has differently shaped cutouts, they overlap with the ones below/above, preventing light from filtering through; setting it on a base upside down produces great shadow play
Feedback: duplicate and put together for a full shape; don't get rid of overlap for layering but adjust the holes so that they bleed over the layers and line up; alternatively use glueing tabs on alternating layers; add legs to lift it up higher and create a bigger radius of reflections/shadows around the light
Shadow casting, observing pattern; using glue to create a layer through which the light disperses, creating a more muted effect and subtle glow (however, the glue unexpectedly dried clear so this only worked while it was still wet).
Six
Putting the full sponge / donut-shaped / duplicated idea into practice to visualise it.
Likes: shadow/light pattern from the base
Learnings: don't like adding legs, patterned/cutout part has to come out all the way to the sides (ie somewhat steep slope from wides point to centre) to disperse well and create the intended shadow play; making it fully donut shaped may use too much material due to many stacking large layers that give it a full-bodied shape (but can't be nested for laser cutting)
Light / Pattern Exploration
Using organic shapes to create patterns and printing samples on scrap material to explore the different shadow plays.
Feedback: (4) & (5) look most like sponges and corals, respectively.
I am wanting to focus on the sponges, so I chose (4) for the final product.
Fabrication
Working out the final design, amounts of layers, and cutout placements. Throughout the design process for the laser cut file, I had to abandon the idea of the donut as the shape required a lot of very closely (barely offset layers) that at the working scale would be too small to allow for cutouts. The light dispersion and sponge-like pattern are the most important part of the design, so the overall shape comes in secondary.
The design was finalised from the sketches on illustrator, creating vector files to be cut by the laser cutter. Individual pieces were assembled to create the overlap and pattern, and the two halves were carefully assembled using clear drying glue and lots of patience. The cutouts are lined up perfectly to create a seamless overall pattern and the top was left unperforated to be able to attach the LED to it on the inside.
Finished Product
Left to right: setting the scene for a soft glow on the bedside table; the light/shadow play and overall function; a close up on the sponge-like pattern, linking back to the mood board.
Future Thoughts
I love how the pattern turned out and the light/shadow play. Functionally, the light is doing exactly what I intended it to and its connection to sea sponges and corals can be easily seen. For further iterations based on this product, I would want to play around with more complex shapes, using them to create different light projections. "Hidden" motifs or patterns that aren't obvious at first look would also add an interesting touch.
