LOOP LAMP

Loop Lamps are a collection of lighting designs that merge craft with technology by combining hand-knit paper yarn with LEDs. The lamps are designed to be sculptural, functional and energy-efficient. Loop Lamps are an exploration of how tradition and craft (knitting) can merge with technology (LEDs) in the creation of functional artisan objects.

The soft lampshade forms were hand-knit and crocheted with Finnish paper yarn by local artisans. “Paper yarn is a renewable resource with great natural characteristics, and I wanted to explore how it could be used in lighting design. It’s biodegradable, durable, lightweight, anti-odour, and doesn’t collect dust or dirt. It’s really just a beautiful material with a timeless simplicity.” With the use of LED technology, Loop Lights are lightweight, emit less heat than conventional bulbs, and can be used in exploratory lighting design.

Form is a result of the knit pattern, the shape and weight of the LED case and gravity.
The lamp shade is knit into a form much like a bag with an open bottom.

Testing an early phase of paper yarn knitting.
When the light is turned on, the frosted LED case emits a soft glow.

Loop Lamps address the contemporary desire for authenticity and warmth by creating a product that sources local production (Finland) for both the interior plastic components and the hand-knit shades. The handwriting of each knitter-artisan is different, and no two lamps are exactly the same. Interior plastic components are produced by a local lighting manufacturer.

“We went through a lot of experimentation and prototyping with these lamps – exploring different yarns, knitting patterns, needle sizes – and figuring out how to knit the yarn to give the aesthetic and elasticity we were looking for,” comments Elizabeth. ‘It was quite a process. Some of the prototypes had to be remade several times because the knitting was too tight or too loose and didn’t fit the manufactured components. There are a lot of things going on when you have an imperfect, handmade design that has to work with an industrial form such as the housing for LEDs – it’s this duality that makes it work.’

Loop Lamp project has been made possible by generous grant support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.