Culture and nature in Japanese design have a complementary relationship, to the point of a homology. Precisely, Hotai, the name... Read More
Culture and nature in Japanese design have a complementary relationship, to the point of a homology. Precisely, Hotai, the name of this lamp, means “complement”, a singular structure in which three elements: wood, quartz, and light coincide to create an incomplete shape that is nonetheless aesthetically pleasing. The principle of fukinsei, or unbalance, alludes to the absence of symmetry in the natural world. Here the absolute formal precision that every element has, be in it the curve of the wood, the mineral sphere or the artificial projection of light, would not exist. The principle of kanso, or simplicity, is seen in the minimalistic aesthetic of the two geometric figures that shape the lamp.
Moreover the principle of shizen, or naturalness, makes reference to its materials: yugen, or deepness, alludes the transparency of the clear quartz which allows the viewer to see its inner inclusions. Ultimately seijaku, or stillness, making reference to an introspective nature and the calm that is produced by the lamp through the balance in its elements.
It is through this design that a bridge is built between the deliberate, ideal action of culture and the chance, unequal action of nature. This complement constitutes a circuit between both: to the sphere (whose interior is completely unbalanced) followed with a wooden curve (whose circularity remains incomplete) and finally a lightbulb whose illumination returns to the sphere. Nevertheless, the dominion and straight character of the rays of light is denied by the inside of the quartz, which refracts them by fragmenting their direction in uncontrollable and unforeseen manners.
In this sense, the manipulation of maple follows a traditional technique called yakisugi, in which the wood is burned to make it more resistant highlighting its natural veins. The culture-nature relationship is therefore revealed as complementary action between human beings highlights of nature, whether in the patterns of the wood or the mineral, and where natural action that highlights the beauty of the manipulated materials by human themselves. The duality of Hotai allows the creation of two atmospheres: On one side, the superior lamp produces an intense beam of light; and on the other side, the inferior lamp through the clear quartz blurs the light stylizing the environment with a sophisticated light.