northwards design studio: C lamp

‘C-lamp’

new zealand-based northwards design studio (chris jackson) will be exhibiting ‘C-lamp’ at 100% design london during london design week 2010.

‘the C-lamp is a technical lamp constructed from off the shelf components and connecting elements cast from recycled aluminium. the main element is a C-shaped clamp, which is constructed from cuboids of polystyrene packaging hot-glued together, whilst the connectors for the supporting aluminium rods are made from two off set cubes in the same manner. these patterns are then set into sand and cast using the flower pot furnace.

post operations are minimal. any flash in the cast sections is cut away and finished by hand. the clamp and connectors are drilled out to take the rod, whilst smaller holes are drilled and tapped with a thread to take the locating thumb and grub screws that fix the lamp in place for adjustment. finishing is minimal to keep the texture of the cast and emphasize the narrative of the production process. in case of a very rough finish, rubberized paint has been applied to keep the castings from damaging surfaces and assist in the ease of adjustment.

a standard 10mm aluminium rod is used, available from any DIY store. satin and polished finishes have been achieved with wire wool and a standard metal polish. grommets screws and electrical components can be found in electrical and audio wholesalers. the diffuse for the lamp is a fabric conditioner bottle, cut away and finished with a craft knife.

predominantly made from aluminium, the C-lamp can be melted down and recycled again in the back yard furnace to make another creation.‘ – northwards design studio

‘C-lamp’ black (detail)

‘C-lamp’ natural clamp (detail)

‘c-lamp’ black junction (detail)

‘C-lamp’ natural junction (detail)

process images:

preparing the flower pot furnace

styrofoam models

moulds embedded in sand inside the flower pot furnace

furnace being fired

early test piece

early test pieces