In spaces between: the art of handmade lighting

Light is central to the atmosphere of any room. It has the power to create a space or alter a mood, and can have a profound effect on the aesthetic of an interior. And for some designers, the concepts of lighting as an essential object and of objects of art are closely intertwined.

This notion goes back several decades, perhaps most notably with Isamu Noguchi’s Akari Light Sculptures. The designs were first brought to life in 1951 when, on a trip to post-war Japan, the mayor of the small town of Gifu City asked Noguchi to help revitalise their lantern industry. The idea was to incorporate the area’s traditional washi paper, made by hand from the bark of a tree, and to give it new life in the form of a modern lamp.

By marrying this ancient craft with the defining technology of the 21st century, Noguchi created the ubiquitous design that can be found in homes across the globe. Now, more than half a century later, the Akari Light Sculptures are still being meticulously made by hand in the family-run Ozeki workshop in Gifu.

Though function was Noguchi’s first consideration, his light sculptures became so much more than that. As the artist and designer explained:

‘My main purpose has always been art as it relates to life. I work with the gamut of possibilities. Inherent in Akari are lightness and fragility. They seem to offer a magical unfolding away from the material world.”

For Noguchi, the use of the handcrafted material was central to this idea. The Akari harnesses the inherent qualities of Washi, or as he put it, ‘the magic of paper’, to create the unique and warm ambience that the light sculptures have become known for.

Yet when Noguchi represented the United States at the 1986 Venice Biennale, many of his peers dismissed the lamp as too commercial. The debate over at what point design becomes art is still ongoing today. Just this year the concept was explored in an exhibition entitled 'Akari: Sculpture by Any Other Means’ at the Noguchi Museum in New York. There, visitors were invited to walk amongst the oversized paper lanterns to experience first-hand the way that they create and transform space.

For contemporary lighting designers the idea is one that continues to inspire, recently embodied by the Bonbon Shade from Hay. Designed by Ana Kraš, it is created by hand weaving coloured cotton threads around a steel frame, resulting in one-of-a-kind pieces that vary slightly in their appearance and texture.

As well as finding inspiration in her own drawings, Kraš was fascinated by the way in which lights, unlike other items of furniture, are decorative objects while not in use and functional only when daylight disappears.

Stemming from a student project, in the 10 years since its initial conception the handmade quality of the Bonbon Shade remains unchanged. Despite its evolution from student project to large scale production, it still retains the artisan feel that is central to its design.

Though paper and thread carry more obvious maker connotations, incorporating handmade elements in lighting need not be limited by style. Take, for example, the Ambit Pendant Lamp from Muuto. Designed by TAF Studio, its design references traditional brazier stoves; its unique shape created through being press-spun by hand. Visually, it’s undeniably modern, but handcraft is essential to its concept and production. It requires a level of precision that can only be achieved by talented craftsmen - without them there is no Ambit.

As lighting design continues to innovate, the use of one material remains as popular as ever. Glass has always been central to the creation of lamps, and modern iterations continue to harness the centuries-old craft of glassblowing, experimenting with new and expressive ways of working.

For Giopato and Coombes, it is this very process that informs many of their designs. Their Gioiello collection features specially sourced Murano glass which is mouth-blown by Venetian craftsmen. Designed to resemble an emerald gem, it is an ode to the painstaking work of the goldsmith. The collection’s brass discs are individually and meticulously finished by hand, creating a final texture that wouldn’t be possible with the use of a machine.

Handmade lights are inevitably one-of-a-kind, subject to the kind of human imperfections that can't be found in machine-made designs. They not only offer us unique products, but a comforting sense of nostalgia for the pre-industrial era.