Dedon and ECAL interpret lighting through a natural lens

The possibilities of lighting are explored by students at ECAL, the university of art and design in Lausanne, who are presenting a selection of nature-inspired lighting concepts as part of a digital exhibition.

The project is a collaboration with Dedon Design Studio's initiative, ‘Lighting the Future’, which supports students on the Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship master’s degree programme. It marks the first exhibition in the ongoing Dedon by Nature programme, where the brand teams up with young designers across a range of disciplines in a bid to support its discovery of both emerging materials and trends. Students rose to the challenge, creating new pieces over the course of nine months, under the supervision of Nicolas Le Moigne, who heads the master’s programme, and designer Sabine Marcelis. 

Dedon and ECAL sculptural lighting designs

For Gala Espel (France), Yuoning Chien (Taiwan) and Alexis Perron-Corriveau (Canada), graceful movements inspired the design of their series of woven outdoor lamps, ‘Falling Leaves’. Encompassing a sculptural silhouette, the pieces juxtapose elongated edges against cylindrical shapes, the almost diaphanous material casting a soft spiderweb of light.

Spherical forms also inspire Briac Laforge (France), Milagros Rodriguez (Peru) and Caterina Valletta (Italy). The abstract nature of their hanging outdoor lamp, ‘Natura Morta’, recalls everything from a cocoon to a furled leaf. The lamp encompasses one woven layer snugly fitted inside another, and the two layers freely rotate thanks to a joint inside that acts as a central axis.

A woven form is also evocative for Jiyeong Kim (South Korea) and Seungmok Lee (South Korea), who cast their floor-standing lamp ‘Glowing Nature’ on a woven base, while Kévin Goury (France) and Clémentine Le Guerec (France) play with a semi-open weave in ‘Bud’. Their two outdoor lamps act as both reflectors and shades, with the smaller piece able to be detached and used in the home.

The outdoors is key for Ömer Akkas (Turkey), Charlotte Angéloz (Switzerland) and Mika Matikainen (Finland), whose lamp ‘Reflection of Origin’ nods to the wings of a cocoon, with six lights peeking out from its sophisticated form. 

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