Consider: Akari Light Sculptures
Lumen large over design history.
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I was inspired to write about lamps by articles like this one, which talk about how, historically, many hours of work were required to produce the equivalent of one hour of light as from a modern light bulb. As that number went down, all of a sudden people’s evenings opened up. A personal favourite light source is the lantern, and when I think of lanterns, I think of Isamu Noguchi and his work in the medium. Like anything with Noguchi, once you start digging, it quickly takes fascinating turns.
Design
This is not Noguchi’s first appearance in Considered. His work with play structures formed a big chunk of our look into playgrounds (a personal favourite article). Noguchi was an Artist/Landscape Architect/Sculptor/Furniture Builder/overall polymath. His work graces the exhibition spaces of many museums and some really stunning private homes.
Noguchi was born in Los Angeles, to an American mother and Japanese father. He moved to Japan with his mother at the age of two and lived there until the age of thirteen, when he returned to the US to go to school in Indiana. Raised in an arts-heavy environment, he was “apprenticed” to a Japanese carpenter at age 8 to oversee the construction of the family house and gardens. After high school, Noguchi went on to apprentice for Gutzon Borglum, who created Mount Rushmore. Interesting aside about Borglum: He helped to organize the 1913 Armory Show, which many consider the birth of American Modernism. This was the first time most people got see Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse and others in North America. Borglum resigned before the show opened because he felt that it made more traditional artists, like himself, look stuffy and old-fashioned.
Noguchi’s journey gets crazier from there, including a stint with Brancusi. His life is a fascinating journey that reflects the tensions of the times he lived through. If you’re into biographies, there are many notable ones about Noguchi, or for a shorter read check out this piece by Buckminster Fuller. Fuller suggests that Noguchi’s work is a bridge between two time periods, the first world where change was abnormal and the second where change was the predominant state. I could not think of a more accurate description.
Thomas Messer, the former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, said of him:
''His art, deeply rooted in tradition, kept reiterating the underlying wisdom and the verities of life. He lived with old values, which, in his hands, pointed in exemplary fashion toward the new.''
What does all this art talk mean? He was an expert in looking at a traditional material or process (wood, ceramic, paper, etc.) and using traditional tools and methods to create something that was distinctly new and modern.
Innovation
In 1951, Noguchi traveled to Gifu, Japan. The town was known for manufacturing lanterns and umbrellas from bark paper and bamboo. While there, he designed the first of his lamps, which he called Akari. These lamps are composed of an outer bamboo frame, covered on both sides with washi paper. The lamp shade sits on either a metal base or a pendant wire, depending on the model. Once the glue is dried, the shades can be collapsed and shipped flat. When lit from within, the Japanese paper disperses the light in a way that seems magical. Noguchi described the curves and ribs of the paper, saying they “carve the light with every wrinkle.”
The Akari lamps have been manufactured in Gifu by Ozeki & Co. ever since (or as Ozeki describes it “since the 26th year of the Showa Emperor.”) Ozeki & Co. have been around since 1891 and their lanterns can be found throughout Japan, including in the Imperial Throne Room.
Looking at these lamps, the shape and materials have been so often copied by Ikea and others, that an internally illuminated hanging or free standing paper lantern seems boring to today’s audience. It is important to pause here and think of the time and context in which these were first produced. Other design classics have suffered the same fate. Some classic Considered items, such as the anglepoise lamp and the Duralex tumbler, generated such aesthetic and manufacturing innovation that over time they became the standard. The Eames LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) Chair is the most striking example of this. Released in 1946, at a time when luxury furniture meant the finest materials and upholstery, this chair was made from molded plywood and had no hardware. The Eames’ pioneered molding plywood into shapes and at the time it was the first commercially available implementation of the technology. Now you can find knock offs for less than $100.
In 1951, when these lamps were first produced, design was firmly in the grasp of the space age. New materials like chrome, formica and plastic led to new types of objects and easier affordability. And then there was a lone sculptor, producing paper lamps. Starting in 1984, Noguchi Akari lamps became more easily available when they were featured in a Bloomingdale’s campaign around Japanese products. Think of 80’s furniture. Neon, lacquered/high gloss finishes, angular everything. And then these uniquely proportioned orbs of light.
The lamp has not stayed stagnant, with new shapes being issued up until the artist’s death in 1988. As well, the Noguchi Museum has done a great job in keeping the work alive. They recently partnered with the artist Tom Sachs, who designed an Akari lamp to accompany his Tea Service exhibit.
Cost
Due to the fragility of materials, the best place to get the lamps are from the Noguchi Foundation themselves. The foundation uses the proceeds to fund the Noguchi Museum, in the artist’s house/workshop in Queens, NYC. The variety of shapes and sizes is impressive. Prices are reasonable, with simple lamps starting at $100USD and going up from there. I personally can’t wait until this one gets back in stock. Akari are also available through Vitra.
The lamps are surprisingly durable but the materials do not tend to last over long periods. That being said, the paper and bamboo of the shades is incredibly sustainable. It is hard to find second-hand models because of the wear and tear on the shades, but if you do, the shades are easily replaceable.
I recently toured Casa Barragan in Mexico City, the home of the Pritzker winning architect Luis Barragan who was a contemporary of Noguchi. One of the incredible features of his home was no overhead lighting. All the lighting was supplied by lamps. It was incredible! Down with pot lights and up with floor lamps!
PS:
I never thought there would be an intersection between three Considered articles, but artist Zak Kyes has done it. He collaborated with FKA Twigs to make a video celebrating the seven finalists for the Woolmark Prize, which celebrates accomplishments in merino wool. In the video dancers make use of Noguchi Playscapes to showcase the clothing. Considered hat-trick!
Such a wonderful piece. Thanks for writing this.