bicho: reclaimed branch lighting by martinho pita

‘bicho‘ by martinho pita all images © francisco nogueira

portuguese architect and designer martinho pita has conceived a lamp entitled ‘bicho’ – meaning ‘creature’. the hand-made lighting

pieces are made from portuguese holm (holly) oak trees – a type of wood used for centuries and is known for its hardness and high quality firewood. to fabricate the design, pita carefully selects the branches – cutting the piece at a particular angle so the tree is able to heal itself – and peels it while it is still soft. the aesthetic of each piece is evocative of a species or animal with the textile-covered electrical cords running through each lamp in a different way to resemble the blood as a life-giving source.

pita describes the philosophy behind his work:

‘I love the process of things so it’s ‘mistakes’ are still intact. I believe to be essential to try things for myself first and be able to see them from different perspectives. product-design is not my field but i believe the absence of preconception is essential when you want to create something original, from within. I don’t identify myself with repetition since everything in life is unique. each lamp is unpredictable and tells his own story.’

the cord runs through the body resembling a life source of blood

the textile-covered electrical cords running through the lamps vary in color from black to red patterns

the designs are made from portuguese holm (holly) oak trees

‘bicho’ with a grey cord

detail showing the textile cord

  each design is unique to the branch used

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