child studio uncovers enigmatic + surreal lighting series at milan design week

milan design week 2017:  london-based child studio presents a collection of sculptural lighting objects that play with the illusion of movement, the perception of reality and fantasy. the creations are set to be exhibited in an unassuming location of a historical family-run flower shop ’ditta angelo radaelli’ in milan’s brera district.

the collection debuts at milan design week 2017

child studio has crafted a series of glowing glass spheres that appear to be rolling and sliding from the top of slanted geometric plinths, captured at a point of subtle balance as if frozen in time. when viewed from different angles, the object’s shapes appear to change — creating beyond real three-dimensional effects that build a sense of anticipation and suspense.

the collection creates the illusion of movement, exploring the perception of reality and fantasy

this project draws on a range of references from the metaphysical paintings of giorgio de chirico to architectural landscapes of aldo rossi. the ambiguous scale and striking silhouettes of the pieces give them an architectural quality. one of the central inspirations for this collection is the visual language of theatre director robert wilson and his approach to movement and stillness, moment and infinity. the project invites the viewer to pause and to reflect on their perception of time within the physical environment.

colour-stained figured wood looking almost like marble or a bizarre digital pattern

the surreal and whimsical nature of the collection is also reflected in the materiality of the objects: each piece is an experiment with various guises of ash wood, including coloured staining and gloss lacquering. the figured wood texture in vibrant colours starts to look like marble or a bizarre digital pattern.

the lights appear to be rolling down sculptural geometric plinths

viewed from different angles, the object’s shapes appear to change and create surreal effects 

this project borrows  metaphysical paintings of de chirico to architectural landscapes of aldo rossi 

the ambiguous scale and striking silhouettes of the pieces give them an architectural quality 

the precarious shapes create a sense of anticipation and suspense 

the project invites the viewer to pause and to reflect on their perception of time within the physical environment 

the studio was set up in london by chieh huang and alexey kostikov

child studio works on the intersection of object design, spatial projects and art direction

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom