chieh ting huang: urban camper lighting objects

‘urban camper lighting objects’ by chieh-tine huang

a recent graduate from london’s caberwell college, taiwan-born chieh-ting huang has designed ‘urban camper lighting objects’ which draw on the symbolism associated with lanterns both eastern and western cultures – there is a fundamental difference of how a lantern is perceived. in the orient, it is generally conceived as a lightweight portable lighting device consisting of wood or bamboo, and paper. when wood is used, it forms the inner structure, giving shape and strength, forming a skeleton onto which paper is fixed as a membrane. it protects the inner flame from winds while allowing enough illumination to fulfill the lantern’s purpose. on the other hand, images of occidental lanterns consist of hard metal cages and cold glass, such as glass lighting, industrial or marine lamps. beyond the different construction styles of the iconic lanterns of east and west, the original intention behind the creation of both is one and the same: to protect light. before the invention of electricity and the light bulb, the simplest and the most frequently used lighting might have been candles, but they give only a weak light and have to be carefully protected from wind to prevent flickering or extinguishment. the lantern was the next logical step.  

each lantern is made from wood and paper, which is widely used in oriental lantern, and their shape is derived from working lamp, industrial lamp, or marine lateen

these lighting objects present a homage to humanity’s taming fire for lighting, which can easily ignored by people in the modern world. they are structurally composed of an elaborate wooden cage, accompanied by a delicate paper shade. the paper shades of these objects are made into diamond shapes, which is to illustrate the preciousness of lighting, and colored in red and orange, so as to mimic the color of fire. the wood structure provides the protection of the lighting, but unlike metal and steel, it gives a warm and natural sense to the objects. the combination of the use of digital machinery and the craft-making process is visible throughout the process.

the paper shades of these objects are made into diamond shapes,  meant to illustrate the preciousness of lighting, and coloured in red and orange, so as to mimic the color of fire

digital drawing plays an essential role in the planning stage due to the complexity of the structure. laser cutting,

which provides accuracy and neatness, is the main method of woodcutting. all the components are assembled by hand.

because of the heat of laser cutting, a natural burn on the wood surface is produced, some parts of the wood components are finished

with hand-painted colour, and the others are sanded to reveal the original wood colour with a hint of burn at the joint.

the paper craft inside is also folded and combined by hand. the challenge throughout the process was to maintain the balance

between the accurate machinery contribution and the imperfect but humanly hand touch. another intriguing part of this practice

was to make the inexpensive material, such as MDF and paper, into objects that people would want to treasure and cherish

through this careful and time-consuming making process.

‘urban camper lighting objects’ are on show at london design week 2011.

unlike the oriental lantern, the wood structure was built outside of the object to protect the fragile paper shade inside

some of the shades are made of colored film sheet

a lighting objects with a clay container underneath

the base can be used as a container for your precious objects or plant

the use of wood and paper makes the hard and cold working lamp become delicate and elegance

the ‘urban camper lighting’ collection

the sketches and digital drawings

a hand-made process was an essential part of the practice

the wood structures

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication.