PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 5

I installed one of the paper lampshades. It is temporarily installed around the globular pendant lamp that was already hung above the dining room table. I was happy with the look and the glow it gave. The patterning of the lamp mimics the damask wallpaper. I intend to continue to create various paper lampshades and illuminate them using various other sources. Keep'em peeled.

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 4

Last night I assembled the paper lampshade and placed a light source within it. Here's a photo.

 

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 3

With the help of AutoCAD and Sketch Up I was able to render the lampshade I had previously laser cut. I created an animation of the model posted below.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I wished I would have pushed my basic Sketch Up skills further by attempting to create this rendering prior to having the panels cut. I'm not so sure I'm happy with the rendered product. Granted, the concept will change drastically once a light source is placed within the lampshade. You live, you learn. And there's always a chance to design it again. And again.

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 2

A lot of progress and little blogging has been done in regards to the paper lampshades project I started some time ago. Most of the design and development in regards to this project has been digital, with minor model building. In my previous post, I showed some earlier ideas and models with the original concept.

 

I have since tweaked the patterning of the lampshade, attempting for something simpler in concept and design, while maintaining the original concept for an organic shape. I created this pattern above using AutoCAD. I built a portion of the lampshade using light-gauge paper and found it was too flimsy to hold itself up in a large format. Thanks to Ana Ramos and Art Center, however, I was able to have this pattern laser cut onto chipboard.

 

I'm pleased with the patterning of the panels. This portion of the project wouldn't have been possible without the laser cutting technology. Here are some pictures below of the initial  development of the lampshade.

The lampshade is large. Perhaps larger than I'd like. The image below has only but a few of the panels attached. I have yet to insert the light source. I'll most likely use several sources being that the cavity within the lampshade is fairly large. More experimenting to follow.

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 1

As part of my application to the Masters of Architectural Lighting program in Wismar, Germany, I am required to have a portfolio showcasing my involvement and interests in lighting. I will be utilizing this blog as a place to keep notes and photos to show progress on the various concepts on which I'm working.

The first of such projects is a series of paper lamp shades I've constructed out of simple items made easily available to me at my job at John Levy Lighting Productions. Using plotter bond paper, an xacto knife and glue, the intent is to create various ornate and organic shapes that will act as diffusers for light.

Here are the initial notes on the project:
Some of the inspiration behind these lamps comes from Tord Boontje's lampshades and graphics, as seen here. However, the intent of my lampshades will be more structural and symmetrical, finding harmony in repeating patterns rather than in familiar images, as Boontje has done.



Here are two close-ups of plotted patterns that would be cut out. With AutoCAD, these images can be easily plotted at various sizes to make the piece larger or smaller. Using both the cut out shape and the background as part of the lampshade, symmetrical, intricate and organic shapes can be created.
Here is a photo of a miniature mock-up version of one of the lampshades. The intent will be to create larger variations on this theme using bond or vellum paper, and hanging as a pendant lamp with a dimmable incandescent light source. Although merely conceptual at this point, the outcome of any design is difficult to determine unless one tries.