christopher jenner pushes the boundaries of glass blowing with urbem lighting

 

 

 

christopher jenner brings late milanese street lighting back to life with ‘urbem’. the london-based designer has developed eight pendant lamps, whose forms have resulted from an exploration in convex and concave form, with consideration to the possibilities of glass production. measuring 400mm x 600mm each, the bulbous forms push the boundaries of what is capable with glass blowing methods, produced as single pieces; using the traditional craft technique to realize the handmade triple-layered opal shades. in its entirety, the ‘urbem’ lighting collection merges 19th century era lamp design with technological ambition, resulting in a contemporary series of luminaires.

 

I am inspired by the innovation of 19th century europe where craft and technology collided to create many of the iconic hallmarks of the present day. our future potential lies in uniting the achievements of our past with the possibilities of our contemporary age, as demonstrated through this collection.’ – christopher jenner

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‘the cloud’ installation of ‘urbem’ lighting

 

 

on the occasion of milan design week 2014, jenner installs the ‘urbem’ lighting collection as ‘the cloud’, a visually emotional work that is conceived to simulate the effects of an electrical storm through the use of an LED and reflective stainless steel vortex. thus, the lamps become more than objects of illumination, rather an expression of technology fusing with craft, to create an immersive experience.

 

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each ‘urbem’ light is blown as a single pieces

christopher jenner urbem lighting collection designboom
measuring 400mm x 600mm each, the lights push the boundaries of glass blowing

christopher jenner urbem lighting collection designboom
the ‘urbem’ lighting collection draws its formal references from late 19th century milanese street lighting

christopher jenner urbem lighting collection designboom
the collection is comprised of eight lights

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