FLOOR LAMP V
Uncompromising complexity, harmonic design and mesmerizing light patterns.
This is Cirvinea floor lamp by Calabarte.
Cirvinea is exactly the 50th lamp I have made since my passion has began in 2009.
I started working on it in 2017. During these 5 years a lot has happened in my life. I had many short and long breaks and I created three other table lamps and started to make jewelry in the meantime.
Cirvinea was patiently waiting for its turn and in February 2022 it was finally completed.
The Process
HARMONY AND PRECISION
Drawing a perfect spiral on a gourd is not an easy task to begin with, so when it comes to drawing logarithmic spirals like I do in my projects, I need very accurate calculations. People who use spreadsheets usually love or hate them. I am definitely in the first group.
Spiral itself wasn’t so difficult but placing the circles on it of which the diameter grows in a geometric progression was really challenging.
My other lamps with spiral-based patterns are
Escher’s Leaves, Nepenthis, Leaferis
THE CARVING
After engraving all the contours and marking the spots for the holes it was time for painting and the most intense stage – carving.
This gourd was a really thick one, especially at the top.
On one hand, the thickness gives more possibilities in creating reliefs (like the veins), but on the other hand, small parts such as small circles are very difficult to carve in these thick areas.
The depth of the carved areas is not very consistent to make the shading effect that would be visible by night.
Although the vein is very geometric as well, it brings the organic feel to the pattern.
DRILLING THE HOLES
In terms of the complexity of the perforation pattern, Cirvinea is the most advanced of all Calabarte lamps. There is nearly 18 thousand holes in the lamp but since each hole had to be pre-drilled, in fact I drilled over 35k times.
Because the gourd is very thick, the drilling had to be done very precisely in the direction of the light source. Only then, can a hole project a point of light on the wall.
CIRVINEA
Math, Nature & Light
By day, this handcrafted lamp is a unique sculpture while at night it comes alive showing its second, more enchanting nature.
The light creates intricate light patterns on the walls bringing a dreamlike atmosphere to every space.
Working on Cirvinea gave me a lot of joy and satisfaction.
Each next stage was a fascinating challenge with this lamp.
The base made of Sapele wood was created by Lech Kostyszak from Unique Wood Design.
THE DETAILS
PHOTO SESSION
Cirvinea in the Haze
What happens if one of my lamps will be surrounded by the haze?
The beautiful results of this photo session you can see on my Blog.
VENICE
Homo Faber Event 2022
Last year, I’ve had a great pleasure of being a part of the Homo Faber Event 2022 – an international cultural exhibition taking place in Venice, between 10th April – 1st May.
My lamp Cirvinea – presented as a pendant lamp – was a part of the exhibition, among many other beautiful creations and examples of the highest quality craftsmanship.
You can see more of my photos from this trip on my BLOG.
In the main gallery, you can see 9 of my latest lamps. If you want to see more, take a look at Lamp Overview.