Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company Muneji Toh Architects
Lead Designers Muneji Toh
Completion Date August 2023
Project Location Japan
Entry DescriptionWe created a lamp using shells. Shells that sleep in the sea show beautiful expressions by polishing shells. In the past few decades, the technology for polishing shells has improved, and by making them as thin as possible without cracking them, the original beauty of the shells is revealed. Furthermore, thinly polished shells transmit light and show beautiful colors and patterns. Shells grown in various environments around the world each have different colors and patterns and have their own unique beauty. Also, since shells are natural objects, even shells of the same species have different expressions and shapes, and no two are the same. We created a bracket lamp using these various shells. The shells emerge from the wall when illuminated. Light passes through the mother-of-pearl part, and when the light is turned on, the shells change to a different expression. There is a natural beauty that cannot be imitated by artificial colors and shapes created by humans.
Sustainability ApproachBy applying shell polishing techniques, shells are transformed into the designs of lighting fixtures that are familiar to us from the perspective of product design. The appearance of a shell can be changed by how it is polished, and various expressions such as fully polished, semi-polished, and unpolished are possible. We bring out the original beauty of the shell, which is a natural object, and furthermore, by using lighting, we create a special lamp. Shells that were previously discarded are transformed into beautiful materials, circulating marine resources.
