This month, London-based design studio Raw Edges launches an innovative new lighting collection under the name LightMass^. Distinguished by an intriguing size to weight ratio, the voluminous pieces have a minimal silhouette and an airy, gossamer-like structure. The captivating designs hang in their environment - remote from their light source - like luminous airborne sculptures.
LightMass^ by Raw Edges
This is the first independent venture undertaken by Raw Edges, who was first profiled on the pages of Wallpaper* back in 2008. Now a stalwart of the international design scene, the studio is known for its experimental, playful approach to the design of furniture, product and space. Over the past 16 years, founders Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay - fellow graduates from London’s Royal College of Art and partners in life too - have challenged conventions in shape, material, colour and pattern to produce iconic designs for the likes of Established and Sons, Vitra, Louis Vuitton, Moroso, Cappellini and Kvadrat.
Their most recent explorations into material and form, however, have turned into a more personal project. LightMass^ is the outcome of experimentation around the potential of additive technology and bio-based filaments, that combined with a drive to create lighting structures with imposing volumes but minimal weight and waste. “We wanted to achieve something sculptural and impressive that will be a pillar in space, says Alkalay, “At the same time we wanted it to be light in weight - almost like a mobile that can react to any little movement of air - and with a low carbon footprint through the light usage of material.”
The design plays into the idea that high quality LED technology has made the lampshade redundant, but without them we lose a medium for defining space. “LEDs don’t need their beams diffused so we see lighting fixtures disappearing discreetly into the fabric of a building, casting out their light unfiltered and unannounced,” explains Mer. “But it can leave behind a rather empty hole.” It follows that with a shading function no longer required, the creative process of designing lighting pieces is freed up. The bulb no longer needs to be closely tethered to the the main body of the piece, which is therefore able to take on a more sculptural role and lantern-like lighting effect. “When switched off, LightMass^ fills in space like a delicate line drawing suspended in the air,” says Mer. ”When switched on, the mesh intercepts the light from the source and recast it, creating patterns of light and shade.”
Central to the design of the LightMass^ family is the unique patterned mesh surface developed by the duo. Taking a cue from the elegant framework of Victorian greenhouses and the precisely engineered struts of bridges by the likes of Brunel, the looping structure of the weave was drawn digitally. The design is turned into a two dimensional surface using FDM additive technology and a custom filament composed of renewable and recyclable biopolymers. Once teased into its final three dimensional form, the openwork of the surface enhances the weightless, translucent nature of the LightMass^ pieces. The zero-waste process makes their touch on the wider environment as light as their physical presence.
LightMass^ will launch during London Design Festival at the Wax Building in Shoreditch, a new home for independent British design brands. The inaugural collection features pendants in varying sizes that can hang alone or in clusters, and a selection of floor and table lights, each named after its weight. The nature of the design means sizes, shape, pattern and colour can be customised easily for site-specific projects too.
Light in nature, weight and footprint but big on impact, LightMass^ represents an exciting new addition to the field of lighting.
