2011 | Student Work | Western Washington University
Particles & waves & polished aluminum
The goal of this student project was to create a full-scale functional prototype lamp out of aluminum.
Since the project had few specific requirements to research, I began with experimentation. My goal was to understand how light interacted with a variety of transparent materials. I used various shapes of glass and acrylic, and several types of light sources, from diffused fluorescent, directional LED, and a highly directional laser. The materials were cut, polished, heated, bent, painted, and sandblasted to see what effect each treatment had on the transmission and quality of light.
After experimenting with light and various materials, I began to consider common types of light sources that are in widespread use. One of these is the tubular fluorescent lamp, seen here in Chicako Ibaraki's piece, Line. The form language from this source, combined with the fiber optic type of effect I had observed during the above experiments, formed the basis for the next set of sketches.
I used various shapes of glass and acrylic, and several types of light sources, from diffused fluorescent, directional LED, and a highly directional laser. The materials were cut, polished, heated, bent, painted, and sandblasted to see what effect each treatment had on the transmission and quality of light.
The initial set of sketches all began with a geometric origin, and progressed into a more abstract and organic form. This set focused on bulb forms, and glass as a material.
This sketch set started with using the linear light element in different orientations. I was searching for a method to tweak the normal linear element and began to experiment with adding a slight curvature. This curvature was increased, and the thin emitter shape was gradually balanced with the mass of the lamp body.
While in the middle of this project, the requirements changed. In addition to the lamp, a new element was added. A base would need to be designed and fabricated that would act as a customized presentation pedestal. This sketch set shows the progression of the pedestal shape. Initially it was made to reflect the shape of the lamp. A linear element was added to contrast the curve, and create wider footprint for stability. By the third iteration, the light element was extended down into the base, making it a functional complement to the lamp. The last two illustrate refinements to the shape, a trajectory like curve in front, contrasted with a long shallow S curve in the back.
The sketches were created in parallel with full scale paper models. The models helped to evaluate the shapes rapidly, and the insights gained were then applied back into the sketch process.
The bases were constructed from foamcore and paper, and varied from 40 inches to 50 inches in height. A fully functional paper prototype was also made, in order to evaluate the quality of light that could be expected from the final version.
The final base was constructed from MDF. The main structure was made from 1/2" thick material, and the outer layer was formed with 1/8" thick sheets. Aluminum bar stock was inset into the leading edges of the MDF sheet, next to the light and lens elements. This allowed the edge to be much thinner than the wall, and dimensionally uniform. Power is supplied from a removable cord via a socket in the base. The line voltage is converted by a transformer from 110v to 12v to power the LED strip. The base has a set of magnetic contacts at the top that index into the lamp's base plate, providing power to the lamp.
The final lamp was cnc milled from two solid blocks of aluminum. The sides of the lamp form a compound curve, this geometry would have been impossible to achieve with sheet material. The two halves index together with pins and are secured with epoxy resin. The base plate is removable and allows access to the 12v LED strip used for the light source.
