Saturday 1 February 2014

Got a Light

I making some real progress now with the lamps and I have two almost ready to be wired up and fit lights and the third is in kit form. As I make the lights I’m finding that there are quite a few options to make many different types of lamps and wall fittings. At this current rate I could have made 5 pieces if it wasn’t for the time I wasted messing around with the locks and boxes.

So lamp 1 is almost complete and has the most options for setup it will have two variations on Shades/lamp heads and also three variations on bases or mount. On first glance it resembles an angle poise lamp but the influences come from earthmoving equipment and as I placed the cable on the arm I hope this representation will become much stronger.





Lamp number two is just about done as well and needs a few minor tweaks and the light fitting. This is more like a traditional standing lamp but it folds away and the roots of the idea exist in the design. I wanted there to be a real emphasis on simplicity whilst having a clever mechanism. And once again this is based on an access platform as opposed to some sort of equivalent desk lamp.







In order to keep a consistent theme all the lights will be LEDs and run-off 12 V systems. Most plant equipment and machinery uses low voltage circuitry somewhere between 12 and 24 V therefore my lamps should as well. I have chosen LEDs for several reasons; firstly their reliability and usability are exceptionally good, most manufacturers offer somewhere between 15 to 30,000 light hours and in comparison to energy-saving or incandescent lamps this is extremely good value for money. The 12 to 24 V means that they are very safe and the earth all the live could run through the body of the lamp. They are also low-energy users and they run around 2-6 watts whilst still producing great like quality equivalent of 10-20 watts per LED watt. The quality of the LEDs and their very modern and unique look should make the pieces feel extremely contemporary.



Throughout this project I have been conscious not to take ideas and references from actual lights and lamps. The reason is extremely conscious and I feel that making such choices has worked quite effectively. I’m able to design and produce objects that do not look and feel like lights that have been seen before. Well at least I hope and I also hope that the pieces come across like the sort of plant equipment you might find on a building site; where I take strong influences.

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