Design Within Reach Cloud Lamp + MIT Stata Center
While visiting DWR in Providence last month, I felt a little weak in the knees when I saw the new Frank Gehry cloud lamp floating in the air - stunning! So much more dramatic in person than in print, I think the whole creative process involved in how they were designed motivates me even more to start looking at common objects a little differently.
This goes back again to an earlier post about pushing past your design comfort zone. Canadian born Architect Frank Gehry found a new way to look at common packing paper cups and using staples, he transformed them into a cloud lamp. Of course, the DWR light fixtures aren't made of paper, he opted for flexible, tear-resistant, fire-retardant polyester instead. Good choice. The cloud lamp may have transformed into a fireball!
Tip: If you're ever shopping at DWR in Providence, ask for Marc Gelinas, store proprietor. He's very down-to-earth, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable, which will make your entire shopping experience that much more enjoyable.
By the way, if the name Gehry sounds familiar to you, he recently designed the new Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences at MIT here in Cambridge, MA. View the amazing photos of the Stata Center here. Robert Campbell, Globe writer, calls the building "a work of architecture that embodies serious thinking about how people live and work, and at the same time shouts the joy of invention." I was over there the other day peering upwards in awe. If you're local, you should bring your camera and go check it out.
