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discarded aluminum blinds transform into cylindrical lighting system
keker translates a familiar architectural component into a lighting collection.
VENETIAN BLINDs BECOME A modular LIGHTING SYSTEM
Keker Collection by Reza Raeisifar repurposes discarded aluminum Venetian blind slats, originally designed to control and block light, as components for a modular system that directs and distributes illumination. By transferring a familiar architectural element into a new lighting application, the project uses recycled material to develop a family of adaptable lighting objects.
Keker began in 2018, when Raeisifar encountered an old, unused Venetian blind in a storage space and began exploring how its material and structure could be reused. The idea developed further through an invitation to propose a lighting design for the interior of the Afarinesh project at Shiraz University. The resulting system shifts the function of the aluminum slats from controlling incoming light to directing and diffusing an artificial light source, while using a limited amount of material.
REPEATED aluminum SLATs SHAPE LIGHT AND SHADOW
The first iteration consists of three laser-cut acrylic sheets that form the structural framework. Longitudinally cut aluminum slats are inserted into grooves within the sheets, creating a repeated modular arrangement. An energy-efficient LED light source sits at the center and distributes light in 360 degrees, while the curved slats conceal the source from direct view. Their geometry produces changing patterns of light and shadow while maintaining visual comfort.
The construction system allows Keker to be configured into different forms and lighting types. Over time, the collection by designer Reza Raeisifar has developed into pendant, linear, ceiling, wall-mounted, and floor-standing versions, each retaining the same underlying construction principle. The first iteration of Keker was presented in 2019 at Ordibehesht Gallery in Tehran. In 2025, the different versions developed over the intervening years were brought together as a collection and presented at Design Gallery One in Tehran.
project info:
name: Keker Collection
designer: Reza Raeisifar | @rezaraeisifar
photographers: Navid Atrvash, Arash Akhtaran
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