Mischer'Traxler

The Viennese design duo Mischer'Traxler has had interesting projects popping up all over the place lately.
A cake decorating machine, beautifully colored casts of vegetables, the Rumkugelbahn - this new project really goes to show they're no one-trick pony.

Relumine is a bit more product than scultpture for a change, but maybe that just stems from the self-prescribed use of standardized, industrial components: the low-energy lightbulbs. They tackle the reality that the EU has recently banned incandescent lightbulbs, and while this light sculpture doesn't create a replacement for the soft light of a glowing wire, it makes a bold statement about energy and about bringing our 20th century perceptions of a lamp a labored little step into the future.

I apologize for the lack of sounds effects, but when you look at these, you can probably hear
the zzzzzweaurr of a light saber in your own head.

Ugly Duckling

What an aptly named lamp! The materials really do transform into something different. It's still a bird, but a very different bird.
With all the DIY, recycling, raw industrial materials stuff around this one really hits the nail on the head. It's austere but still a little playful. You can just see the hands screwing the different bits together, pulling wiring through the pipes, and painting the lampshades a matching yellow. This one makes me wish I knew the next thing about electrical wiring so I could make it too.
Also, nice details! The switch, and the use of curves to turn flat pipes into a stable, three-dimensional frame are just elegant.
Unfortuantely the chopped-off bottle lampshade leaves a little something to be desired, but isn't the lampshade the easiest thing to replace on a lamp? I am sure other plastic refuse could do nicely here. Or even a 1st use, real-live fabric lampshade?
Designed by Hong Kong-based designer Kamric. oh yeah, yoinked from designboom, here. thanks!

It's all about the materials

Better late than never from the ICFF:

Nice to meet you, Mr. Willenz

The path of research often turns into a fractal pattern of tangents that lead you in ever growing circles somewhere not entirely different. In this case, I was researching lamps in the two bastions of indexed design, stylepark (Germany) and architonic (Switzerland), where you can bask in the reassuring glow of well organized information. I kept stumbling over the name Sylvain Willenz, and this is because I am, as it turns out, a fan of his work. Here is why:

1. print lamp for established&sons. made from 1 piece of blown glass which has a "built in" diffuser.
2. lock for tamawa. ashwood & bakelite. nuff said. (well, no: I like bakelite. it also comes in red.)
3. torch lamp for established&sons, 2008. soft plastic shell. floor, table, or suspension.
Sylvain Willenz hails form and works in Brussels.
4. homerun chair. also nice.
5. stuff bag. seamless flat rubber. also nice. want.

Electricity is Magical

It certainly seems that way when you look at these lamps, and that is why I love them. They were designed by Jeremy Pyles for Niche Modern.Just for fun, take a moment to imagine if you would be able to sufficiently explain electricity to an alien if the life of the human race depended on it. (You can omit the part with the murdering alien if you like.)

This reminds me of Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law of predicition, which is as sensible as it is beautiful and gives me great hope that marvelously mind-boggling things are in store:
"3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

And that reminds me of Nikola Tesla as portrayed by David Bowie in The Prestige which was very good right up to the very end. Unfortunately, from my experience, this is rare in the science fiction genre. Maybe this one is so good because it's barely science fiction. Anyway, this one is worth seeing if you like magic and electricity: