A Dutch twist to Japanese Lantern making
The latest work from Dutch design studio Atelier Robotiq highlights a unique tape weaving technique creating fascinating lighting designs. Inspired by traditional Japanese lantern making methods they started experimenting with layering of washi paper.
Surprised by the interesting shadow play at the material intersections, they further experimented with overlapping patterns. Starting with manual weaving of paper and textile tape materials they discovered a beautiful cotton tape material having the perfect translucency.
The next challenge was to reproduce these patterns for which they created a novel robotic weaving process. This mixture of tradition and technology has resulted in fascinating lamps resembling the warm light of Japanese lanterns, manufactured with a novel robotic tape weaving technique.
Lightness and Movement: Tilt and Sway
The new tape weaving technique inspires to make designs with a sense of lightness and movement. This resulted in a first collection of lights wherein the woven lamps show subtle movement by swaying in the wind or tilting by a slight hand gesture.
Tilt
The woven shade of the Tilt lamp is playfully positioned over a spherical light bulb, allowing it to tilt its position by a subtle touch. By tilting the shade one can change its perspective and direction of the light. The sleek cylindrical foot shows light, but the inserted weight provides a solid base. Tilt emits a warm, inviting glow, making it both functional and aesthetically engaging.
Sway
The Sway lamp draws inspiration from the organic movement of swaying grass. Designed to move gently when touched or stirred by the breeze, the Sway offers a serene lighting experience that resonates with natural grace. The pole of the Sway stands in a solid stone base giving support to freely move with the winds. The stone base comes in different designs representing natural grounds like Riverbeds or Dunes.
ATELIER ROBOTIQ
Atelier Robotiq is a design studio from Rotterdam, founded by designers Søren Blomaard and Anne-Lise Heydra. Their different backgrounds combining aerospace engineering, product design, fine arts and robotics leads to unexpected and exciting products.
Their Fiber Pattern Lamps, and Tape Weaving Lamps are a series of light fixtures, made by weaving fibers or tapes into geometrical patterns using an industrial robot. They manufacture all their designs in-house, with a small team, in their atelier, located in the city center of Rotterdam.