Tag Archives: Leaves

Woven leaf lamp concept harmonizes traditional crafts and industrial production

Posted on by

Advancements in technology, material science, and processes have taken man’s production capabilities to a whole new level. However, with advanced manufacturing, traditional craftsmanship and values have been left by the wayside, sometimes forgotten, and other times discarded as if they were no longer important or were even counterproductive to progress. Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as there will always be elements of traditional crafts and modern tooling that could be mixed in an elegant way. Such is the premise behind this rather striking lamp, highlighting not only the beauty of traditional, handmade crafts but also promoting the culture and the livelihood that also grow alongside it.

Designer: Antoni Martorell Pascual

Handmade products are admittedly not suitable for mass production. As many have realized by now, however, not everything has to be mass-produced in the first place. Simple, everyday items might be fine with generic and standardized designs, but in exchange for speed and ease of manufacturing, they often lack personality, depth, and impact. Fortunately, you don’t always have to go to either extreme and find some middle ground that showcases the strengths of both methods.

Catalina is a lamp design that does exactly this by combining ordinary lamp electronics and foundations with a lampshade that’s meticulously woven by hand. Specifically, it uses palmetto leaves and traditional weaving techniques called “llata” from Mallorca on one of Spain’s Balearic Islands. Unsurprisingly, this technique is passed down through generations and is mostly done by the women of the locale, a practice whose existence is being threatened by the rise of mass-produced furniture and lighting.

This lamp, however, illustrates the beauty that can come from the melding of past and present. The woven palm leaves form two cylindrical shapes in the form of an eight that encloses two bulbs inside each space. A gap between the two circles is filled by a transparent sheet of glass or fiberglass, serving as a diffuser for the light. The effect is a serene glow that passes through the weave like an otherworldly light.

Lamps like Catalina take time to make and are often more expensive because of the labor involved. That, however, also makes the design more special, giving it a unique character similar to a limited edition product. And unlike factory-made lampshades, these handwoven materials will have differences and imperfections, flaws that become selling points exactly because they are different from any other lamp from the same product line.

The post Woven leaf lamp concept harmonizes traditional crafts and industrial production first appeared on Yanko Design.

A sustainable coffin that helps us benefit the earth even after death

Posted on by

Shaina Garfield, a young industrial designer, realized how close death truly is at all times when she contracted Lyme Disease. Face to face with the subtle futility of life, she gave a lot of thought to the end of life and what it entails. She realized that we, humans, are always deeply connected to nature, even if we may try to escape it. But our traditional burial methods when life does come to end are harmful to nature. During burial, cremation and even embalming a lot of toxins are released into the soil, air, and water, polluting them. Hence, Garfield designed Leaves. Leaves is a sustainable and eco-friendly coffin that offers a more beneficial alternative to the traditional burial methods used today. Leaves was designed “to acknowledge the transformation from death into new life”, to rekindle a connection to nature and to care for it even when life comes to an end.

Designer: Shaina Garfield

Wholly centered around biodegradable materials, the concept of Leaves includes wrapping the body in natural cotton. The body is then placed on a pinewood base and is held and supported by a meshwork of rope. The dye of the rope has been embedded with fungal spores. After the body is buried, the fungi grow, multiply and speed up the body’s natural decomposition process. At the same time, the fungi absorb and eat any toxins in the body, only permitting nutrients such as oxygen and nitrogen to enter the soil.

Once the soil is healthy and full of nutrients, which takes around a year, a tree is planted above the burial site. This symbolizes a beacon of new life, a ray of hope and an ode to nature. Garfield says, “This transforms our definition of a cemetery from a place with loads of dead bodies to a beautiful park full of new life.”

And it is indeed a beautiful sentiment. In fact, even the experience of tying the ropes on the coffin can be meditative and therapeutic for the mourners, aiding them in their process of healing. The entire concept and design of Leaves attempt to transform death into an organic experience wherein the wellbeing of nature and the mourners are centerfold. A tree marks where our loved one is buried, creating a physical memorial, and signifying the beginning of new life. Garfield’s Leaves could truly transform conventional burial processes! What do you think?