dirk vander kooij: satelite lamp the future in the making exhibition

‘satelite lamp’ by dirk vander kooij image © designboom

two new pieces have been added to the ‘endless flow’ collection of dutch designer dirk vander kooij. presented as part of the domus exhibition ‘the future in the making‘ during milan design week 2012, the project uses 3D printing technology whereby a single string of melted plastic is ejected following a continuous line which eventually results in useable object. this production method has been applied to create ‘satelite lamp’ and ‘calculated chaos’ chair as a means showing the diverse possibilities of this process.

the internal mechanism shows through the ruffled transparent surface  image © designboom

for ‘satelite lamp’, vander kooij used clear recycled plastic as opposed to the typical colored opaque material he applies to his work. the string of the now-flexible substance has been formed into two concave shapes, one fitting into the other. three fluorescent lights have been placed between the layers, each with a different color temperature to emit different luminosities. the ruffled texture of the bowls modulate and diffuse the light, casting a warm glow. the opacity of the lamp allows the internal mechanism to become part of the design, as the colorful wires and connectors show through the undulating surface.

the texture of the fixture is accentuated when the light is turned on  image © designboom

(left) dirk vander kooij demonstrating the assembly of the lamp (right) detail  images © designboom

‘calculated chaos’ image © designboom

programmatically speaking, the ‘calculated chaos’ chair required a complete re-imaginging of the technical code. while typically, the 3D printed objects of the ‘endless’ collection have a clean outer layer and a filling pattern between, in this case it was peeled away, leaving the internal aluminum structure exposed.

exhibition view at ‘the future in the making’ exhibition  image © designboom

installed within milan’s historic palazzo clerici, ‘the future in the making’ exhibition explored experimentation in materials, production techniques, social ethics and economic frameworks.

the original ‘endless chair’  image © designboom

see designboom’s previous coverage of dirk vander kooij’s ‘the endless chair‘ and ‘endless saloon table + rocking chair‘. 

a shelving unit is a new addition to the ‘endless flow’ collection  image © designboom

detail of the structure of the shelf  image © designboom

the ‘endless chair’ has protruding fasteners, allowing the furniture pieces to be attached to the floor with screws  image © designboom

detail, the fasteners will be cut  image © designboom

chairs were produced in-situ image © designboom

child-size version image © designboom

dirk vander kooij portrait © designboom

included in the show were the ‘food printer’ by GGlab + deniz manisali and ‘solar sinter 3D printer’ by markus kayser.