*mobile devices click the + icon for a dropdown menu of finalists.

Established Criteria:

• Designers and design firms from all disciplines including but not limited to Artists, Industrial Designers, Architects and architectural firms are eligible to enter so long as:
• Submissions must have been developed and submitted by the eligible artist, architect or industrial designer whose business or professional career has been active longer than 3 years / having launched PRIOR TO November 1st 2012.
• Entrant must NOT be currently enrolled in any post-secondary design program.
• Entry must be a produced, functioning light, or prototype, BY OCTOBER 26th 2015. 
• Custom designs are admissible if the entrant can support their vision for the marketability of their design. 
• Entry must be of original creation, not infringing on any creative copyright anywhere. 
• Currently produced light fixtures at the time of entry MUST NOT be, or contracted to be, mass-produced. L A M P's intention for established participants is to further elevate their recent and original work through media reach & community connections with the intention of bringing their proposed product to a global market. 
• Eligible fixtures must have been completed & manufactured no earlier than December 31, 2012.
• Eligible entry must be a working indoor PENDANT, WALL, TABLE or FLOOR light.
• Entry MUST NOT exceed 6' x 6' x 6' at 1:1 scale. 
• If the design is intended to be hard-wired, for exhibition purposes they must be able to be plugged in. 
• All lights adaptable to 120v, North American Standard.

Click here to view all 90 submissions!

Neal Aronowitz

Title:
Boro Boro Light

Concept Statement: 

Matter is frozen energy, revealing and expressing the forces that formed it. Crystals, produced under great pressure assume many growth forms - radiating, branching, superimposing, crossing in lattices over, through, and around each other.

Boro Boro Light draws inspiration from the burr crystal form, a three dimensional cluster resembling children's jacks, radiating from the center but with no center matrix.

In Feng Shui practice, the burr crystal embodies unfettered learning and growth in all directions and allows for the free unrestricted flow of Universal Life Force.

Boro Boro Light is designed to be constructed solely of glass, except for the stainless steel cable suspension and Xenon bulbs and sockets. The form and placement of these minimally cold-worked, frosted borosilicate tubes and rods of varying diameters and lengths express an explosion of force while gently diffusing and guiding the radiating luminous glow of light out from the center.

Dynamic, exuberant, and playful from every angle and perspective, Boro Boro functions as a sculptural, efficient light source with an inviting and energetic presence.

Project Specs:

Frosted borosilicate tubes and rods.
Stainless steel cables and suspension hardware.
Dimmable Xenon bulbs.
Dimensions: Approximately 52" diameter x 24" high/ 123 cm x 61 cm

Bio:

Neal Aronowitz is a Brooklyn, NY native who has been living and working in Portland, Oregon since 1995. In the midst of studying art and architecture in NY and Massachusetts he started a beautiful family and a successful construction company working primarily with tile and stone. Art and design went to the back burner, but over the years dozens of sketchbooks of designs for furniture and sculpture have accumulated.

He has occasionally made conventional pieces of furniture on commission for private clients. Neal recently made the irrevocable decision to dust off and crack open those piles of sketchbooks and foray into the more experimental, riskier pieces that have been unrealized dreams.

Inspiration abounds and there is no turning back now!

URL:
www.nealaronowitz.com

Country of Origin:
Portland, Oregon, USA

Amy Lin and James Chavel

Title:
Braque's Colander

Concept Statement:
We wanted to create a light that was both formal and ephemeral at the same time, and to bring that from the surface of a wall, giving form to a light that isn’t literally a crystal, but has the characteristics of a crystal. This began with a simple idea of folding a sheet, like the outer paper layer of a sheet of drywall, and folding it over to create a small space to house a lamp, then manipulating the sheet in different ways to create multiple layers or intensities of light. The pulling and layering and folding of this sheet, which started as paper and then chipboard and finally sheet steel, is like the pinch of a walls surface, creating form where once there was nothing.  Most wall sconces throw light in an even, predictable manner. We wanted to create a lamp that emitted light in different and unexpected ways, much like when a crystal receives light, it bends it in different ways, creating shadows and lightness around it. The form of our light is definitive both at day and night, becoming both light and alternately dark – transmitting light in layers, in different directions, at different levels of brightness.

Project Specs:
Size - 450mm tall x 300mm wide x 100mm deep
Fabrication - Laser cut 12 gauge steel plate. Brake formed. Welded. Powder coat paint finish.
Electrical - Two A-Type 120 volt lamp sockets mounted end to end.  Two - 12w dimmable LED Lamps @ 4000K.

Bio:

Amy Lin and James Chavel are principals of Suulin Architects, a five-person architecture firm located in Toronto and New York. Amy and James started their collaboration at Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in 2008, working as project architects on the new home for the Sisters of St. Joseph. After completion of this project, they established Suulin Architects in 2014. 

Amy and James have practiced the art of building for almost 20 years. Before working at SSA, Amy was previously an associate and senior designer at Ennead Architects, and James Chavel was a project architect at Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. 

We place great emphasis on enhancing connections to nature, and awareness of the environment. Suulin means 'forest' in Taiwanese, which partly derives from the meaning of our combined names, while also serving to mark our commitment to the environment. Our aim is to approach architecture collaboratively, with our clients and our builders, as well as holistically, ensuring that our consideration encompasses different scales and speeds.

We are currently working on projects in Canada and the US.

URL:
www.suulin-architects.com

Country of Origin:
Toronto / New York

Lynn Read

Title:
Crystal Cluster Chandelier

Concept Statement:
Crystal Cluster Chandelier:
Refraction of light is the focus of this design. Inspired by Quartz Crystals. The geometric shape of the glass shade bends light causing a luster and beautiful sparkle.

The idea of this lighting project was inspired by Silica the material I use every day as a glassmaker.  At the purest form is Quartz. The most abundant material on earth. This concept is to honor the natural geometric beauty of the material I use daily.

Project Specs:
Crystal Cluster Chandelier:

Designed in 2015
Make from molded blown Soda-Lime glass using a flashed ombre color effect. Hung with laser cut and fabricated cold-rolled steel harp. Finished with a hand rubbed tool blacking andwax.  UL certified. Made in the USA

Proposed: One Crystal Cluster 24" Diameter steel canopy with 21 Crystal Pendants hanging at a variety of height depending on the installation site ( suggested 24" x 24" x 6"-8" tall) Feild adjusted as needed. LED T8 "Edison Bulb" UL with a plug for

Bio:
Vitreluxe LLC, contemporary hand blown lighting, tableware, and sculptural objects, is celebrated for its striking silhouettes, sophisticated color pairings, and meticulous craftsmanship. The collections are available to consumers through design-savvy retailers, boutiques and museum shops. The studio also works with residential interior designers and hospitality specifiers, offering customizable site-specific solutions and glass fabrication services. Based in Portland, OR, Vitreluxe is owned by principal Lynn Everett Read, a former painter, sculptor and theatrical set designer. His pursuit of watercolor, color field-painting and set building paved the way to an interest in glass, for its optical intrigue, transparency of color, and versatility.
Read has devoted years to understanding the physics needed to shape molten glass, and to mastering processes he believes are being lost to the industry. After decades, he has a well-deserved reputation for creativity in a wealth of techniques, from blown to cast, mold-blown, pressed, patterned and sculpted.

URL:
www.vitreluxe.com

Country of Origin:
U.S.A.

Matthew Conley

Title:
Duality

Concept Statement:
Duality explores the transition between raw and refined materials and textures.
Our aim was to create a pure representation of this through a striped back and simplistic form with a single alluring feature to entice interaction. When closed Duality is a contemporary and dark object; a solid intriguing form that invites curiosity. With a simple intuitive twist Duality opens, revealing a contrasting texture and crystalized core.
Illumination is regulated when opened by the degree of twist, controlling light intensity and quantity revealed, until eventually dimming to off as the halves closed.
Design inspiration was taken from a geode core. The textured glass structure randomly reflects and refracts light to emphasise an internal copper lining and accentuate the crystallised form.
The design challenges centred on controlling the movement of the two halves and combining an internal reclaimed copper lining within a matte unglazed ceramic shell. The reflective central threaded shaft controls the smooth movement and is concealed by a surrounding halo light source and further obscured by the central light column created from recycled crystalized glass.
The design approach and construction of Duality promotes further exploration of numerous material combinations using the existing basic internal structure.

Project Specs:
Dimensions:
Diameter: 110mm
Closed height: 220mm
Open height: 285mm

Material / Manufacture Processes:
Reclaimed Copper
Cast & machined

Unglazed Porcelain:
Slip cast

Recycled Glass:
Blow moulding
Frosted internal face

Circular COB LED's:
60mm diameter inner Halo ring
70mm diameter outer Halo ring

Fabric cable – Coloured Flex:
Teal (oxidised copper colour)
3 core round
Internal LED dimmable light engine

Bio:
HJC Design
Sheffield & London

Established in 2004, HJC Design is a leading UK Product Design Consultancy. A user centred design approach is combined with manufacturing proficiency to create solutions that are user driven, value engineered, inspiring products and new brand identities that offer real value and bottom line benefit.

HJC operate a full design & manufacture service, resulting in a streamlined product development process that achieves business targets and assures commercial success. The multidisciplinary team of designers are experts within consumer, industrial, automotive, food & beverage, medical and sports sectors.

Design-for-manufacture is placed at the heart of the design process, encompassing plastic injection moulding, vacuum forming, extrusion, over-moulding, blow moulding, sheet metal fabrication, die casting, compression moulding and production assembly.

Design Team

Matthew Conley
Josh Palit
Sotiris Tsouris
Phillip Jackson
David Pass
 

URL:
www.hjcdesign.co.uk

Country of Origin:
United Kingdom

Matthew Kennedy

Title:
Eleni

Concept Statement:
Eleni crystallizes what lighting could be: low energy consumption, excellent distribution and quality of light, and avoids the losses of putting a light source within a shade. Simple in terms of materials and assembly, the design is built around the technology, an exercise in functional minimalism.

From an incredibly small structure, LED light shines through a transparent acrylic waveguide, finished with gloss surfaces to a crystal-glass finish. Like etched crystal, grooves score the waveguide, the crossed lines making diamond patterns across its interior surface. Here is where the magic happens: light travelling through the waveguide is extracted through the grooves, the light reflecting off the crystalline structure of the extractors, and lighting up the world around it.

Eleni is created from cutting-edge solid state technology: high efficacy, low power consumption LEDs produce quality, dimmable light that is functionally distributed from the shade-shaped waveguide around its circumference, providing ergonomic, low glare light with superior colour rendering to the environment around it.

Weighing just two kilos, Eleni seems to float, with her diaphanous chandelier suspended at a single point from the offset structure, the weight distribution cleverly built into the counterbalanced design.

Clear as crystal.

Project Specs:
Metrics
Diameter, waveguide ⌀450mm
Height, waveguide 270mm
Height, overall 470mm
Support structure 27mm x 45mm; stem ⌀20mm
Mass 2,1 kG

Specifications
Dimmable
120-240 Volt
80% system efficiency
Aesthetic system design:
3500K
92 CRI, R9050
Efficacy: 80 lumens per Watt
4,800 lumens at 50W output
Performance system design:
4000K
80 CRI, R8000
Efficacy: 124 lumens per Watt
6,200 lumens at 50W output

Aesthetic & Performance models are differentiated as efficacy changes relative to colour rendering and temperature.

Design
Injection molded acrylic waveguide with engineered extractors
Anodized aluminum structure (extruded; sintered or machined)
Custom modular LED PCBs
Remote driver
1 screw

Bio:
I love lighting. There’s something magical about it.

I’ve been industrial design consulting since 1998, for companies such as Bombardier Aerospace, Qiagen, and David’s Tea and I have designed lighting for Philips, Ledalite, Eureka, Axis, Haworth and ALCOA. I’m passionate about solid state lighting, and spent the last two years on personal projects designing and developing new archetypes in lighting.

Country of Origin:
Vancouver, Canada.

Alex Josephson

Title:
Gweilo

Concept Statement:
Gweilo is a new family of lighting that transforms the light source itself. We were obsessed with the idea of creating a light that is light itself rather than a fixture, housing or clothing for standard bulbs. Gweilo was about getting as close to the source as possible. We started asking why can’t light pool, drip or drape? How do we crystallize the ineffable beauty of light?

Project Specs:
Each light is hand sculpted by an artist in its hot plastic state, allowing for infinite possibility in the shape, size and detail of the finished object. Each acrylic sheet is uniquely thermoformed by hand inside of a walk-in industrial oven. Thin strips of LED bulbs, encased in a perforated metal sheath, are adhered to the edge of these beautiful and dynamic sculptures. To date, the family of Gweilo lights includes floor and table lighting, as well as chandeliers.

Bio:
Alex Josephson
B.A.S., M.Arch (Co-Founder of PARTISANS)

Alex studied art and architecture at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and the University of Rome, where he also worked in the offices of Massimiliano Fuksas. In 2011, Alex left the Architecture Association School (AA) in London, England, to start PARTISANS. The recipient of numerous awards, he is the only Canadian to have ever received the New York Prize Fellowship from the Van Alen Institute. Alex also lectures at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture.

URL:
www.partisanprojects.com

Country of Origin:
Toronto, Canada

Anki Gneib

Title:
LightTrooper

Concept Statement:
Dramatically oversized, Light Trooper samples the shapes of traditional turned wooden candlesticks. Each with its own expression, that complements and interacts with each other.

The light source is an LED integrated into the body of the piece and form the outward manifestation of the light.
Like inconspicuous rocks on a beach, the clear acrylic is embedded within the structure and not visible at first glance. When lit up the light is transformed into a geometric form.
Light Trooper is a component to explore how the meeting of light, plexiglass and wood could be crystallized into one clear and definite expression where all three components were melded into one.

The natural and soft feeling of turned wood meets a very precise, distinct almost futuristic light source. The four acrylic inlays that are integrated into the body as a cross section create vertical light beams which elegantly defines the silhouette.

Lastly, a solid clear acrylic glowing cylinder on top that symbolizes the candle.
 

Project Specs:
Turned massive oak and clear acrylic
Height: 1600, 1400 and 1100 mm. Base diameter: 420mm

Bio:
Anki Gneib is born in London and educated in the Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Design at the University College of Art, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.
The studio is based in Stockholm and works on a wide range of projects such as interior design for commercial spaces as well as furniture, lighting and product design.
She works as Creative Director for Adolfsson & Partners and has recently completed the Swedish headquarters of both Candy Crush Saga game makers King and the music-streaming service Spotify. She typically runs projects from an early stage to the final result with a big amount of creative thinking and focus on facility branding.
The work ofAnki Gneib is characterized by experimental and playful expressions through both the process and result. She has a passion for cultural investigation and for rediscovering materials, styles and craftsmanship from around the world.

URL:
www.ankigneib.se

Country of Origin:
Sweden

Brad Turner

Title:
Ribbon

Concept Statement:
Ribbon throws a curve to bare bulb pendant lighting.  It is not a one-size-fits-all fixture, but a versatile design element that can hang individually or be paired and grouped for large installations.  My goal with Ribbon is to emphasize the unique properties of glass while creating an adaptable product that is original, yet easily produced.  The result is a simple, unique, and eye-catching device that is capable of configuring to many different contexts.

Glass presents many production challenges that often result in formal tropes.  Molds increase production efficiency, but homogenize and limit outcomes.  Artisanal glass blowing yields more interesting results, but is commonly too inefficient beyond basic forms.  Looking for a balance, my process involves identifying the material’s challenges, then seeking the simplest manner to overcome them.  With an index of solutions, I can then utilize the strengths of the material.

One such strength is glass’ ability to capture movement and maintain visual fluidity, a characteristic I have used to create smooth, gestural lines frozen in vertical space.  Beyond the use of glass itself, this is my reference to the theme crystallize, the apparent solidification of current and flow.

Project Specs:
Materials:
o    Handmade glass, electrical cable, choice of socket hardware and bulb

Fabrication:
o    Hand made, requiring furnace-work glass blowing facilities. Using a jig will standardize a set of curves.  The prototypes depicted were produced freehand.
o    Following hot production, the tube ends are cut and polished.
o    Installation simply requires feeding the cable through the tube and hanging as one sees fit.

Dimensions:
o    As Ribbon is produced by hand, some variance is to be expected.
o    On average, a single, 1in diameter tube will occupy a 4ft square plane.
o    Ideally produced in standardized small/medium/large curves.

Bio:
With a fine art background, Brad Turner received his MFA from Alfred University in NY State, USA, and his BFA from the Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) in Calgary, Canada.  Turner has refined his body of work through artist residencies in Norway and Belgium, but defined his style during a four-year residency at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada.   Creating a mix of sculptural and functional work with an emphasis on conceptual originality and craftsmanship, he has been recognized with 23 competitive grants and awards, including funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.  Turner currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.  In addition to his own practice, he helps operate Terminal City Glass Co-op.

URL:
www.glassturner.ca

Country of Origin:
Vancouver, Canada

Jin Choi

Title:
The BIT Light

Concept Statement:
The BIT Light is a new modular lighting system that provides an alternative means of adjusting illumination levels.  The system consists of magnetically fastened illuminating modules (BITs) which can be simply added or removed by end users to control brightness, without requiring technical skill.  Each added BIT incrementally increases the fixture’s brightness.

The BITs can form expansive linear architectural elements or be combined to create small, reconfigurable geometric lighting objects as surface mounted fixtures or suspensions.  BITs are easily joined together with magnetic connectors that physically and electrically connect multiple BITs to each other, and to a power source.  Because the BITs are self-fastening and self supportive with no external wires, they are easy for anyone to manipulate.

The BITs operate on low voltage and are safe and cool to touch, while the polycarbonate shell is impact resistant and recyclable.

The BIT Light’s innovative technology encourages open-ended, creative interactions with light.  Users visualize a spatial solution, experiment with their ideas and express their artistic intent through light, by forming distinctive configurations.  Hence, the light fixture is something more than a product of a single designer’s concept, becoming each user’s own creations in an ongoing crystallization of their imagination.

Project Specs:
Installation Type
Indoor linear wall or ceiling mount, surface or recessed (flush).

Materials
BIT:  Polycarbonate, ferromagnets, ABS, carbon fiber and related electronics.
Connector: ferromagnetic plates, ABS and metal plated casing.

Color
BIT: white
Connector: polished nickel or gold

Weight
BIT: 5oz. (142g)
Connector: 1.5 oz. (42g)

Dimensions
BIT:  6.25”  x 1.25” dia. (159mm x 32mm dai.)
Connector: 1.25” x 1.25” x 1.25”  ( 32mm x 32mm x 32mm)

Lamp Type
12V permanent LED modules, 2.9 W.

Brightness
278 lumens per module.

Power
12V, 5A, Maximum 60W per collection (about 20 BITs). 

Fabrication
Injection molding plastic and CNC machining.

Bio:
Choi+Shine Architects is an internationally awarded design studio established by Jin Choi and Thomas Shine.  Their works have appeared in museums and galleries worldwide with their best known project, “The Land of Giants”, a human shaped transmission towers, scheduled for construction in Iceland in 2017.

Jin Choi holds a MFA in Architectural Art, and an M.Arch from Yale University.  Her works have been published and exhibited worldwide, including the V&A in London.  In 2013 she was selected by The Korean Institute of Architects as a “Global Young Architect.”  She is the co-inventor of several patented works with Thomas Shine.

Thomas Shine received his B.Arch and M.Arch from Yale University and taught Architectural Structures at Yale.  Before studying architecture, he worked in biotechnology in London, and later ran a firm developing medical equipment. He is the co-inventor of several patented works with Jin Choi.

URL:
http://choishine.com

Country of Origin:
Brookline, MA, USA

Julie Morringello

Title:
Woodhedron

Concept Statement:
The Woodhedron pendant light is inspired by the score-and-fold techniques commonly used with paper and other sheet materials to create crystal polyhedral forms. 

In this case, the material employed is real wood. What makes the score-and-fold technique possible with wood is a unique material which incorporates a micro-thin layer of plastic between two sheets of FSC Certified veneer.  This unusual lamination process allows the thin plywood to be scored and folded without breaking, much like paper.

Wood is an excellent choice for contemporary lighting.  When lit from within, its grain pattern becomes beautifully defined, and its translucency adds a welcome warmth and softness to the often cold light of an LED or CFL bulb.

The prototype I’ve submitted to this competition was cut and scored by hand; I am currently investigating the use of a die-less knife cutting process, which would help lower production costs.  This part of the design process can be quite challenging for an independent designer, as it relies on the willingness of fabricators to experiment with tooling and to take on low-volume jobs. The opportunity to connect with an interested manufacturer would be very welcome.

Project Specs:
Dimensions: 19” wide x 17 tall”

Materials: .025” thick specialty maple plywood, electrical components

Fabrication Technique: the prototype was hand cut and scored; in production it would be digitally diecut and scored.  Assembly is by done by hand using fast-bondingcyanoacrylate glue.

Bio:
Trained as both a fine woodworker and an industrial designer, I have worked simultaneously in both fields for many years, building furniture and sculpture in my fully equipped studio, while also designing products for manufacture.
 
In 2011, I decided to merge my diverse skills to create a company focused on contemporary lighting. 
 
My lighting blends my knowledge of functional design and manufacturing processes with a love of materials, self-expression and expert craftsmanship.
 
All of my work is designed and assembled locally; select components are lasercut or CNC routed as close to home as possible.

URL:
www.modernmaine.com

Country of Origin:
Stonington, USA