Ex-Tension Chandelier

Lead Designers Zhifei Xu

Entry Description

The Ex-Tension bamboo chandelier implements a simple system of joint discovered through material testing and failures, utilizing the injured bamboo, taking advantage of the two different qualities that bamboo can achieve - hard with great strength when being the pole; soft with strong elasticity when cut into slices. The continuous hollow joint emphasizes the hollow nature of the bamboo poles, and every member is in the state of active bending and constantly in tension, finding the balance between themselves. Mini LED lights are installed in the hollow bamboo tube at the ends of the chandelier branches. The overall bamboo chandelier elegantly drapes down from the ceiling, with its pieces extending, interweaving and holding up each other becomes also the manifest of the force inside. With the help of the customized CNC machine for bamboo milling, the form and detail of this project achieve the quality that’s unique for this customized digital fabrication, which is hard to achieve in the traditional way of crafting.