A Design Studio Studio
After years developing his expertise in architectural lighting, designer Alex Fitzpatrick now channels his fascination for the scientific and poetic aspects of light into his own collection of decorative fixtures and objects.
Designer Alex Fitzpatrick works with glass to explore the interplay between light, space and materials.
Alex Fitzpatrick, founder of A Design Studio, is fascinated by the scientific and poetic aspects of light – the technical details of a lighting fixture and the ambient effects of the diffused light. “I try to capture light within a material without the light source being visible,” he explains. “It’s about how the light is cast and the effect it creates.
The process and product are part of it but not my underlying goal.”
Graduating from university with a degree in industrial design, Alex worked at lighting companies in Canada and Australia, developing expertise in commercial projects, architectural lighting and custom fittings. He also designed a line of decorative LED fittings on the side and in 2015 went out on his own. Using single integrated LED chips concealed within traditional materials such as metal and glass, Alex transforms space with his lights.
Inspired by the sun’s rays filtering through a forest canopy, Alex designed his first fitting, Light Garden, in 2011. The triangular modules have petal-like forms and can be configured in abstract and organic compositions so that light pierces through the gaps and casts patterns of light and shadow on the wall. Alex has evolved Light Garden with larger modules and different materials, including a limited-edition series in alabaster stone for which he received a Maison & Objet Rising Talent
Award in 2017.
Continuing to explore the interplay between light and materials, Alex started designing with glass. He collaborated with Sydney-based glass artist Ben Edols to test techniques whereby the lampshade could be illuminated by a hidden light source.The result is Eon, a collection of pendants with crackle glass shades.
Alex used a combination of materials for his Greenway pendant, which is inspired by Macquarie Lighthouse in Vaucluse. Named for architect Francis Greenway, the pendant stacks glass, metal and 3D-printed plastic in a form that references the architecture of the lighthouse and emits light in different ways. “The perforated lattice helps distribute the light, slots in the metal kick light upwards and the glass captures the light within its edge,” Alex describes.
Working with architects and designers, Alex customizes and further develops his light fittings for residential, hospitality and commercial projects. He has also created a line of Crackle Vases, in clear and milky alabaster for his own brand and in richly coloured glass for his partnership with Lane Crawford. adesignstudio.com.au