The 'Scales in Wind' fluid lamp is inspired by the rigid textures of animal scales with, ironically, the softness of wind and the patterns it creates. I call it 'fluid' as it allows wind and its environment to shape it. The lamp moulds into various shapes in the wind with lights on and off.
Always intrigued by the properties of seemingly opposing elements, I investigated how they interacted and then chose to create this lamp as a project for a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Art, Design and Technology's Department of Architecture and Planning as a required exercise for learning laser cutting and construction.
The primary materials used in the production include Polypropylene and Plywood, while the strips of 'scales' are laser cut to precision- each strip different from the other in terms of varying wavelengths of scale lengths.
After the initial concept sketches, I tried various material manipulation methods such as weaving, braiding and overlaying cut paper sheets to see how they worked in various forms and against light. When I found a pattern that was airy enough to mould with the wind, I created digital drawings on rhino 5.0 for laser cutting.
