A beautiful thing

Bespoke homegrown lamps.

Light up the world

David Gur is the owner and creative force at Bespoke Lamps and Bags, a gallery and workshop in Kensington, Johannesburg. Describing himself as a creative technician, he specialises in creating unique repurposed lamps from old precision equipment such as medical microscopes, photographic equipment and musical instruments from the period 1860-1950.

The era from which Gur sources his base components had a high level of design aesthetic and mostly utilised metals that in turn enhance the lamp design. Each lamp is unique, but entirely functional. He sources the equipment from flea markets, antique shops and second hand shops.

Gur’s passion for detail is evident in both his workmanship and choice of items used. Together with assistant, Simba Matanhire, he marries elements from different items that fit together seamlessly as if they always belonged together, forming a perfect match. Nothing is forced. The difficult part is taking the electrical components through each piece with the least amount of disturbance to the inner workings. He calls it reverse engineering, which is a challenging step-by-step process that has to be thoughtfully and well executed to minimise damage and then re-assembled to retain the outer appearance.

“…Old is new, it’s as if to say, what was - still is, and if the latter is true, then good old is as good as new.”

CLARINET (main image) This was one of David’s more challenging attempts: when reverse engineering the instrument, he had to place the wiring and then assemble it to maintain its outer appearance.

FILM PROJECTOR This is a Bell & Howell projector from around 1940-1950. David says the gooseneck holding the Edison globe is curved to enhance the design of the projector. DOLLY David made this as an illustration of the film industry. The wheels are...