Paper Lamp:
A Material Study
While working on another material study project, I found myself with the book Folding Techniques for Designers. I became fascinated by the idea of Crumple Folding, which involves crumpling and re-crumpling paper several times before creasing it to form strong structural ribs. I came up with a form through experimentation and decided on a form for a small light fixture. I switched from standard printer paper to premium cardstock, which I had learned was graded for heat, and worked well for light diffusion.
As visible in the above photographs, cardstock did not allow for crumpling. To remedy the cracking of the material, I decided to soak it first before crumpling it again. This allowed for much more malleability after some trial and error with the amount of time it needed to soak.
For the purposes of this study I ended up using forms that were around my desk. In this instance that was a portable shaker. I had also used a roll of duct tape and a mason jar for earlier experiments.
In the end I illuminated it with the base of a wall-mounted LED push-light. The diffusion of the form spreads light in all directions and the crumples create a dramatic texture that adds character to the lighting. This puts it more in the space of decorative lighting rather than more function-first architectural fixtures.
