Free form lamp

The initial free form lamp was made for an exhibition at the Times literature festival, Cheltenham. Following on from the success at the show I took part in an artist in residence program at the Cheltenham art gallery and museum. During this residency a series of free form reading lights were developed.

The twisting spiral form evolved from experimenting with processes, understanding the properties of oak and responding to the form the timber wished to take. The result has been a bold and fluid aesthetic which allows for further experimentation with surface finishes.

The form consists of 3.5 metre oak lamination’s, first vacuum pressed, then sculpted with an arbourtec and spokeshave. Having resolved the complexities of threading the lighting cable through the lamination on the first free form lamp, the example above explores texture through twisting band sawn surfaces.

(Please see below for a visual discription of the making process.)