commonwealth: the truncheons

‘the truncheon’ – task lamp

new york-based commonwealth (zoe coombes and david boira) aim to produce work through their engagement with the newest tools and the oldest of techniques.

the have designed ‘the truncheons’ a series of lamps consisting of a suspended tube light, articulated task lamp and freestanding tube that rests against wall, which they created for new furniture manufacturing company mattermade. the wooden fixture of each lamp is custom CNC milled, creating a scallop-edge ring effect on the surface. in this way, the presence of the solid wood form is offset by the carved surface. avoiding unnecessary knobs or switches, ‘the truncheons’ adhere to their namesake, meaning a bat, club or truncated remains of a tree. the lamps connect in a simple stick form fashioned out of traditional materials and shaped by advanced digital technology, mixing tooling with classic geometry. energy-saving LED bulbs have been chosen to finish the design, the cool light of the bulb being warmed by the wooden enclosure.

detail of task lamp components

cord component

individual elements of the task lamp laid out

technical drawing

‘the truncheons’ – suspended tube light

detail of the CNC milled, scallop-edge ring effect

suspended light in context

technical drawing

‘the truncheons’ – freestanding tube light