RUBY STUDIO www.rubystudio.com.au
DESIGN INSPIRATION
My current body of work explores ideas in
strengthening the emotional bond between
objects and the user. Aurora connects with
the user in a very light and visceral way,
utility is certainly important but the poetic
relationship a person has with it, how they
interact with it and the sense of calm it
projects are the issues that interest me
most. The Aurora lamp also expresses the
relationship of traditional craftsmanship to
new media and manufacturing techniques and
how it may be re-interpreted in a modern way
for a large audience at a reasonable price.
I have used script letterforms as an initial basis for my exploration since they already have a perceived sense of quality and preciousness and these typefaces immediately charge the object with complex human responses brought about by the weight of history. Theoretically a near infinite number of possible fonts and orientations can be used to trigger different emotional responses from the user.
The Aurora table lamp is made from 60 identical laser cut opal acrylic parts representing the letter “J” in script form. Each part is twisted in relation to its neighbour to allow a complex 3 dimensional form to materialize from simple two dimensional components. The lamp houses an energy saving LED globe and measures 35cm x 25cm x 18cm.
The creation of Aurora involved the use of a 2 dimensional font, virtually extruding and twisting it in a 3D modeling program, slicing this 3D object into manageable parts, laser-cutting simple base forms and arranging them in a complex way. The final result is a kind of “Lyrical Modernism”. Australis is a shorter version of the successful Aurora Lamp standing on a mirror finish base. It has only half the parts while looking identical to Aurora.
In these days of economic gloom we all have less money with which to buy objects for our home. To solve this dilemma we have created Woven Lamp, which in effect is only half a lamp combined with a mirrored surface. The mirror visually completes the light so it’s easier and more cost-effective for us to make and therefore cheaper for you to buy. The Woven Lamp is made from laser-cut acrylic to resemble a woven basket and a mirror finish metal stand.
BACKGROUND
The designer John Hoogendoorn started Ruby
Studio in 2007 with partner and glass
artist Kristin McFarlane. Aurora was the
first product of this partnership and was
awarded Best Lighting Design at the Melbourne
Fringe Furniture exhibition in 2007 and was
shortlisted for the 2008 Bombay Sapphire
– Design Discovery Award.This year the
designers from Melbourne, Australia will
launch two new lighting ranges as well as new
ranges for bathroom manufacturer Phoenix and
a range of door handles for Trojan. Aurora is
available direct from Ruby Studio at
info@rubystudio.com.au
