Getting inspired by nature and its patterns, this project was developed around the experimentation of 3D textures. The combination of smooth and textured surfaces and their way of reacting to a light source have led this project towards a floor lamp. From the initial experiments, I was searching for different ways of creating my own molds to experiment with 3D patterns and textures. My aspiration was to create a product whose focus would be its lighted geometric pattern. Colόna’s fading light and shadows in its 3D pattern aim to generate feelings of relaxation, familiarity and warmth in the environment where the floor lamp is placed at.
‘Biophilia’ is defined as the innate human instinct to connect with nature, while being indoors. The purpose of the product’s repetitive pattern is to be represented by the biophilic term. My concept is to try to connect people and nature through this floor lamp. The lighted 3D textured inner area of the product, compared to the simple outer surface, results in the entire focus on the floor lamp’s pattern. Essentially, people would start generating attachments with the product’s pattern, since it refers to nature.
Finding the right material for casting the 1-meter product’s ‘column’ was fundamental, since it had to ‘fit’ the project’s concept. Jesmonite is a water-based material which is considered a better alternative than plaster, resin, and cement. Mixing jesmonite with marble dust (which is a waste material) allowed me to reduce the amount of jesmonite powder added to the mixture. As a result, the final product was casted with 80% of jesmonite and 20% of marble dust.
‘Colόna’ is a project which seeks to bring nature indoors through 3D textures and their ‘reaction’ to a light source.