Named Growing Light, designer Jordy Rooijakkers created a lighting prototype using OLED Technology, and which folds and unfolds in response to human touch. Check out the videos:

One of his tests that explores the behavior of the lights

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Currently on display at the Biologiska Museum is the Rhubarb series of lamps made of folded polypropylene. French-born and Sweden-based designer, Emma Marga Blanche, likens it to an ‘elegant “rhubarb” that grows directly out of earth’. The organic-looking lamps are staged around the Museum’s famous interiors which showcase the fantastic diorama of Sweden’s natural landscape. You can catch the exhibition until February 12 as part of Stockholm Design Week 2011.

photo above: Patrik Engström/Plaza Deco

About BIOLOGISKA MUSEUM:
The “Biologiska museet” is situated at Djurgården and was built in 1893. The architecture is inspired by the medieval Norwegian stave churches.

The pioneering educational aspect of the museum was the use of the diorama for the first time on a grand scale in order to present the natural habitat. The perspective of the diorama unites foreground and background. The large, painted backgrounds are the work of Bruno Liljefors who is famous for his dramatic painting of birds and animals.

The vast diorama, which can be viewed from two levels, presents the different types of landscape from inland Sweden as well as from the coast.

About 20 Designers at Biologiska:
An exhibition that is about evolution, diversity, and universality, where contemporary design, art and light is housed in an unexpected context. A magical place of historical and emotional value that creates a dialogue between the stationary, artificial scenery, and the always variable design stage. Curated by Fredrik Färg, Emma Marga Blanche and Hanna Nova Beatrice.

Images courtesy of Biologiska

I’m currently fighting a head cold but couldn’t resist posting about this pretty cool light installation by Berlin-based SAQ. If you bear with me, I would have to partially rely on the designers’ own account of the project, and will do my best to describe the assembly:

SAQ has developed a reactive modular lighting system which propagates like cloud structures mimicking the complexity of weather patterns. This project is an extension of the exploration of architectural pluralism SAQ first began in their Bikini Berlin project, which began construction in January 2011. BotoxCloud’s’ design and physical orientation has a futuristic touch, which explores the idea of pluralistic or probabilistic architecture. In other words, the installation yields various possible structural manifestations. For example, when the light comes through the paper models, its physicality changes.

UPDATE as of March 25 ’11: New video of the installation featuring its responses to human presence

Click here to view the embedded video.

Built to respond to human presence, the lighting system consists of modular variants of papercuts which are folded and pieced together. Currently on view at Zirkumflex till February 26. More info on the project here.

Images via zirkumflex + designboom

The Ropes is a series of lamps conceived by Paris-based designer Christian Haas, incorporating energy efficient technology with traditional method of knotting cords.

Note: prepare to scrooooll!

About the Ropes:
A soft look and textile touch, energy-efficient technology, are combined to create an innovative light source and distinctive design object. Unlit, the lamps provide a graphic statement to their environment. Lit, they diffuse a gentle ambient light. Each of the Ropes varies in size and technique. Each unique and numbered piece varies in size and technique. Ropes are handmade in France and Germany.

Materials:
The textile cord outside is robust and dirt repellent. The light source inside the textile cord consists of warm-light LEDs with a durability of roundabout 50,000 hours.

Images courtesy of Christian Haas

Designed by architecture studio madlab, the hanging chandelier comprises of over 15,000 feet of outstretched fiber optics cable. What’s even mind-boggling is the presence of growing bacteria in the sealed petri dishes which made up the lighting pods, hence the name.

via designboom

Traditional knitting and hi-tech materials come together in these lighting installations by British designer, Fay McCaul. Electro-luminescent wire and UV fiber optics are used for these knitted lights. Fay’s illuminated works will be on display at the Designersblock in London this coming September

It all began with folding paper cranes at her elementary school in China. Dutch designer Tian Zhen now applies the origami to many of her designs. Check out her origamic Lotus table base and the Swan lamps.

Thanks to Tian Zhen for the images.

Swan Lamps

Inspired by fairytale swans, the Swan lamps are made from sheets of folded Tyvek paper with no hidden support. Swan comes as a floor lamp and a pendant lamp.

…………………………………..

Lotus Origami Side Table

Paper origami is structurally and flexible, and with that in mind, Tian Zhen creates the LOTUS. The side table can be switched from one form to another in few seconds. In total, it has six different appearances.

See Tian Zhen’s works here

Lagranja Design of Spain built the Bucky Lamp for Spanish lighting manufacturer Pallucco while paying tribute to Buckminster Fuller’s tensegrity structures,. The pendant lamp is composed of three blown glass tubes inserted with colored glass filters, and suspended on cables.

detail of the colored glass filters before insertion

Bucky and his tensegrity structure (below). (image via rw gray projects)

Swedish graduate students and designers of Whatswhat Collective designed a collection of lamps – pleated pendant lampshades that change shape at a pull of the drawstrings; a floor and desk lamp that can be adjusted by pulling the power cord through holes in their stands. Watch the clip to see the lamps in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Called Potential Energy, the range debuted at the recent ICFF in New York. Whatswhat Collective consists of John Astbury, Beng Brummer and Karin Wallenbeck who are first-year master’s students from the Master Group Formgiving Intelligence at Sweden’s Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design.

The lamps represent the presence of both suggested and actual movement. Each piece expresses a different take on potential energy, playing with structure, dynamics and atmosphere. Inviting interaction to set the potential energy in motion. A story of analogue dimming, movement and rest.

images courtesy of Whatswhat Collective

By utilizing her wooden textiles, Elisa Strozyk came up with Miss Maple, a faceted pendant lighting which can be molded into various shapes.

“We usually experience wood as a plain surface, but here it is broken down into a grid of triangles. This makes a flexible lampshade which can be transformed manually in three-dimensional ways. While the lamp generates warm light at night the surface outside becomes more evident with daylight and turns the lamp into sculptural object.” – Elisa Strozyk

the light glows through the folds on the shade, revealing its gridded triangles.

images courtesy of Elisa Strozyk

Check out these sculptures/wall sconces in the form of origami animal heads created by Chilean designer Veronica Posada of Si Studio and also one-half of Due Amigos. Folded from paper, the lamp sculptures come in the form of a rhinoceros, a deer and a ram. When hung on the wall, the display is reminiscent of hunting trophies in a hunter’s den.

- the ram -

——

- the deer -

——

- the rhino -

images courtesy of Veronica Posada

Lovely undulating folds on these Air table lamps by designer Ray Power for Spanish lighting company LZF.

Air Table Lamps. Material: Polywood

Air lamps can be purchased here

via designboom

Designed in collaboration with Swarovski, San Francisco-based design studio, fuseproject, produced Amplify – a series of paper ‘chandeliers’. Unlike a traditional chandelier with its mass of lights and crystals, Amplify only comes with a crystal and a low-energy LED light, both enveloped in a faceted paper shade. The ‘chandelier’ effect, which is amplified with a single crystal, resulted in multiple beautiful reflections and rainbow color bursts.

According to fuseproject, the AMPLIFY chandelier’s aim is to put the Swarovski crystal effect into the hands of more people through its simple construction, easily accessible light source and sustainable material. Each chandelier is carefully crafted to maximize refractions on the inner surfaces. This effect can be seen on the faceted shade material, thus emulating the cut and reflective nature of the crystal inside. Each chandelier becomes its own large glowing crystal.

The Swarovski Crystal Palace Milan AMPLIFY launch exhibit will present 50 AMPLIFY chandeliers, contained in a black lacquered room as a large sculptural cluster, emerging from the dark with blazing crystal effects.

close-up of the crystal and the foldable paper shade

Each of the lantern shapes are housed in a flat package that echoes the shape of the chandelier it contains. The packaging graphics are simple and illustrative to reflect the different shade shapes and components contained inside.

The chandeliers will be available in production from Swarovski in the next year.

Images courtesy of fuseproject

Caleidoscope is a new lighting concept designed by Dutch designer Frederike Top. Its character lies in the contrast of simple construction, combined with the unexpected. The lamp’s façade appears plain at first, but deeper inspection reveals an array of faceted patterns and colour within its shell. The generated shapes reflect the same principles of a kaleidoscope.

Caleidoscope is constructed from stainless steel with a water based lacquer coating. Stainless steel is a long lasting material and is easily recyclable. Caleidoscope lamp is completely manufactured at just one location, keeping production and transport to a minimum.

Technical specifications:
Sizes        small: 36 x 36 x 52 cm
big: 48 x 48 x 65 cm
Weight    small: ± 7,5 kg
big: ± 9,5 kg
Material    stainless steel, laquer coated (water based)
Colours    ral colours
Cable        steel-wire max 70 kg
Bulb        small: 16W | E27 | softone | 8000 h
big: 23W | E27 | warm white | 10000 h

Caleidoscope will be shown at the Tuttobene during the Milan Design Week

Photography: Bas Brummans

This origami-inspired task light will be debuting at Milan next week. Designed by Swedish architects Claesson Koivisto Rune for Swedish lighting company Wästberg, the W101 light is made of pressed sheets of biodegradable DuraPulp, a mixture of  wood pulp and starch made by forestry products company Södra.

via dezeen

Like the La Melle Lampshade, the Spread Light, by London-based designer, Jeongwon Ji, is a series of dynamic ceiling pendant lamps which allow the user to engage with its structure and the light intensity. Each pendant consists of tentacular extensions made of hinged Perspex pieces, which reminded me of the daddy longlegs when the skeletal frames are unfolded.

The mechanical structure of Spread Light consists of a certain numbers of straight or curvy lines of pieces. Due to these units, the organic forms of Spread Light can be more exaggerated while in motion.

About the designer: Jeongwon Ji is a London based product designer who received her BA in Product Design with First Class Honours from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK in July 2009. Born in 1984 and raised in Seoul, South Korea, She has lived in cultural different cities, Seoul and London, with extensive travel experiences, which allowed her to experience a variety of viewpoints in product design.

She is primarily interested in creating everyday objects that reflect her own analysis as well as observation on people, urban life, and social change. Her products are the outcome of how contextual issues influence the creative process of product design.

Designer: Jeongwon Ji Design Studio (United Kingdom)
Inspired by: The notion of light and human engagement, and movement of forms.
Material: Perspex
Colours: Various colours available
Dimension: about 700 x 700 x 800 
mm
Price:
retail – £675 (transparent) £550 (black)
contract – 25% discount
wholesale – 40% discount

Preview of the beautiful Bloom Light by designer Patrick Jouin. The light will be on view as part of the .MGX by Materialise exhibition at the upcoming Milan Salone del Mobile.

Sascha Akkermann of confused direction recently informed us about their recent exhibition of the la melle lamp at Blickfang. The lamp was hung in the middle of a tipi structure whose wooden lattice is partially exposed. Read the previous post on la melle, and here.

Photography by Tanja Leonhard

This nifty 360° LAMP by designer Pavel Sidorenko for Estonia’s Adensen is assembled out of a laser-engraved white plastic circle bent into shape. The center of the lamp can be used as a bookmark.

the bookmark

The lamps are available for sale at Adensen