up lamps

Stainless steel / 925 silver / printed ABS plastic / halogen lamp / 12VAC

Height 1600mm

The UP LAMPS are functional, modernist, standing lamps made from minimal structures, where the manner in which they operate is integral to their aesthetic design. Made from solid stainless steel rod, the use of sterling silver details at the junctions where base, uprights, head and bulb connect, is a deliberate reference to my training as a jeweller, as well as an attempt to imbue a utilitarian, yet entirely hand-made object with increased material value, hence reflecting the value of the subject at hand. More importantly, the silver connectors also reference ‘contact’ points, such as would occur in an electronic circuit, highlighting the inherently superior properties of silver as an electric conductor. In stark contrast to this sense of preciousness, the lamp diffusers or shades used in these works employ what now appear to be rather early iterations of rapid manufacturing (3D printing) in plastic. The material properties of this white ABS plastic appeared as an obvious solution for producing a translucent parabolic shade. The textile-like pattern, which appears as a combined result of both the fusion deposition modelling (FDM) process and the change in wall thickness of the skin-like membrane, was the main impetus for the design of these one-off shades.

‘Up Lamp 1’ was acquired by the National Gallery of Australia in 2005.