Chris Fordham; on the design saunter in EC1.
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Clerkenwell provides a great backdrop for any design show, being Islington’s oldest residential and business district. It was amazing to see the ‘Old Sessions House’ in use (it was once the nation’s largest courthouse) and a building featured in a piece of literature history (Oliver twist) . Just across the road at the turn of century Vladimir Lenin and his wife set up the pre-Bolshevik newspaper that would bring Lenin’s ideas to thousands of Russians, I can only imagine what he would make of some of the lighting products on show…. Yes I like that but can I have it as a grey cube and maybe a Red Sycle for a bit of drama ?
After a two year hiatus in which the world of design shows have faded to black, manufacturers are slowly opening their oyster like shells to reveal in the flesh, pearls of design porn that we have all so missed, even if we cant always afford !
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As mentioned in my piece on Clerkenwell in 2019, the show doesn’t necessarily attract the ‘usual suspects ‘offering products that are a little less mainstream. I was loving the Greypants vibe with ‘Scraplights’ from their Hive and Nest collection.
The first thing I noticed was the warmth of the light from the material used, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they are all handcrafted from natural, laser cut recycled cardboard. Due to the way they are constructed, the product edges are highlighted where the cardboard is joined (as seen left) the effect provides visual interest and is pleasing to to the eye.
(On a side note, thanks to Amy Elstow for convincing me on my way back home to the station that I had one last exhibit in me, never let it be said that salespeople aren’t convincing, you were right the lights didn’t disappoint !)
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Moving on from Fabric to ‘The House Of Detention’ ( a series of tunnels and cells for those awaiting trial in the mid 19th century ) the perpetual twilight is certainly quite fitting for a light exhibition venue, although I did feel for those trapped in the subterranean cells for three days !
What I found cool here was the number of products on show that were refreshingly different. Take for example ‘A Space To Glow’ . Drawing on the interest we find in closed hidden spaces as children, the designer Deborah Green has created lanterns that draw out this curiosity.
As Deborah states ‘The dimensions are such that when you approach the box from the side, you don’t know what is going on inside’ . Everything in the lantern, like a lighting Pandora’s box, seems to have a story adding to the curiosity within. As Deborah explains ‘The hand moulded buttons are a nod to the coloured dots printed along the edge of a piece of fabric (used to check the colours of the fabric), these coloured circles are important to Deborah as ‘ The buttons are like 3d selvedge markers, they draw your eye to the colours that exist in the background, I also drew inspiration from the matrix film, you know where the action pauses and camera spins round ?’ ‘Yes’ I say knowingly, wondering if this underground cell has transported me to another dimension.
All products are wall mounted, plug in, designed to be used in any nooks, cranny’s where you do not need a reading light. Playful and immersive these are something that can be made totally bespoke, using recycled paper with any surface pattern design. The products are protected by recycled recast acrylic, the range on show was actually inspired by wrapping paper, the design, time and material that is lost when it is just thrown away.
To be able to take natural materials and form them into objects that bring both light, art and decoration into one entity must be challenging, Cindy Lilen Studio however, has done this with aplomb.
In her own words, ‘The aim of her hand-made lamps is to transform interiors into an oasis for busy lives, to make people feel good and reassured’.
Cindy draws her inspiration from nature, and her Patagonian roots, seeking a connection with them by providing products that are artisanal yet useful.
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On show at Clerkenwell is the Aime collection (meaning reddish sunset in Mapuche) .
The products use a variety of textile techniques with raw materials of wood, Pure Patagonian merino wool and cotton fibres, (I certainly never thought I would be uttering those materials in an article in relation to lights!) ‘It honours those that shaped Patagonian identity and understood how to talk to nature’,
‘A meticulous analysis of the impact of lighting on people’s moods accompanies the creations to guarantee the perfect performance of each piece. The studio makes tailored pieces based on a mindful study of its clients and their spaces’ needs. ‘
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In terms of look and feel, at completely the other end of the aesthetic spectrum is ‘Oil Drop’ by Jonathan Coles lighting, a Uk company based in Henley-On-Thames where : ‘Designs are playful, combining artistic inspiration and technology, unconstrained by materials, scale or form and offering distinctive and exceptional appeal.’
The reason I liked this handmade product was for the flexibility it offers in its modularity, the way the light interplays on the suspensions, giving the impression of an oil drop dripping, and the lit effect you can achieve on the floor. One word of caution, careful thought needs to be given the space in which it is used, due to the light splaying off in many directions, but nothing that the professional lighting designer would have any problems making into a feature !
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A simple name, matching its simple aesthetic, company – house of .com ‘ were exhibiting their ‘Diffuser floor lamp’.
As founder Helen White told me, ‘We designed it to be the perfect living room floor lamp, to give a non-glare, soft diffused light, providing visual comfort without any distraction, whilst giving a soft glow to illuminate the room. Each of the different colour finishes gives a different mood, for example the pink gives off a sunset hue. Everything is designed in house in the UK‘.
In respect to sustainability, thehouseof.com offset all their carbon emissions, and are supporting a hydroelectric plant in China, with the long term aim of the company to make the factory carbon neutral. In addition, customers are given the opportunity to offset 10 years usage of their light at the checkout, the funds raised are invested into another carbon reduction project. I was drawn toward the soft light and simple design, the kind of timeless look that could fit into many interiors, and importantly a design style that due to its simplicity, wouldn’t really ‘age’.
From lights whose description ‘says what it is on the tin’ (NB. For those who take what I say literally the last product does not come in a tin). Is a product whose name invokes a sense intrigue as to what form it can take?
As Fiachra Kinch the founder of ‘Pour’ puts it, ‘I founded pour out of a passion for ambient and atmospheric lighting, with a preference for bathing space with splashes of focussed warmth rather than drowning a room in one solid, cold hue from above.’ The lights form part of the ‘imperial collection’, with their aesthetic derived from the cut glass decanters of those periods. Made from fine bone china, they come as either a table or pendant lamp, with a triple pendant version combing all three varieties also available. All products are hand made to order. The detailing on the luminaire is quite exquisite, achieved by a combination of 3d printing and plaster moulds, which means the lit effect is warm and un-uniform, giving the product depth and visual interest.
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A great show with some interesting products that you are unlikely to find at more corporate events, and a fitting start to the design season. A nod here to camronpr and Chloe on the organisation front; the back of house support made life just that little more easier, and is not something to be taken for granted. Hats off; in my case, a trilby !
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