Evolving the craft of lighting
LINDSEY ADELMAN Lighting Designer
New York based Lindsey Adelman has long been obsessed with illumination in all its forms. Her work treads the porous border between sculpture and design - taking inspiration from such diverse sources as Eva Hesse’s Rope sculptures, the pattern, colours, and bodily ornamentation of The Maasaiand the films of David Lynch.
“My creative process has always felt more like a craving. It’s like I do all the hard things in life in order to have the time to freely design, daydream, experiment and bring ideas into reality. I really appreciate the open-ended nature of lighting — there are no ‘human factors’ to consider as in, say designing a chair. Lighting can be very sculptural and expressive — I love that about what I do. I approach each project seeking to balance, creating a feeling or aesthetic with rational industrial design principles,” says Adelman.
Her aesthetic reflects an untraditional background. While she sketched constantly as a child, she studied literature in college and began her career working on catalog text at the Smithsonian museums. It was there, watching an artisan carve a lifelike french fry out of Styrofoam, that she first discovered industrial design and knew instantly it was her future. Within days she applied to the Rhode Island School of Design.
Today, history, poetry, architecture and modernism continue to inform her designs. Her work has been shown at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Design Miami and Milan’s Nilufar Gallery.
Catch Box sconce is one of her favourite artwork when asked to choose her best work till now.
Ever since the debut of the Branching Bubble chandelier, the first product made in her newly opened studio in 2006, her goal has been to transform the ephemeral nature of light into something not merely tangible but enduring. Combining organic, handwrought materials like blown glass with the strong industrial beauty of machine-milled components, her lighting systems create radiant warmth while underscoring the drama of shadows and emptiness. “I’m grateful that this creative career can literally take me anywhere I want to go — painting in France or Greece - visiting a bronze foundry upstate — touring a client’s home in Beverly Hills. What excites me is the people, the beauty seeking and the endless learning,” says Adelman.
MY CREATIVE PROCESS HAS ALWAYS FELT MORE LIKE A CRAVING. IT’S LIKE I DO ALL THE HARD THINGS IN LIFE IN ORDER TO HAVE THE TIME TO FREELY DESIGN, DAYDREAM, EXPERIMENT AND BRING IDEAS INTO REALITY. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPEN-ENDED NATURE OF LIGHTING - THERE ARE NO ‘HUMAN FACTORS’ TO CONSIDER AS IN, SAY DESIGNING A CHAIR. LIGHTING CAN BE VERY SCULPTURAL AND EXPRESSIVE - I LOVE THAT ABOUT WHAT I DO. I APPROACH EACH PROJECT SEEKING TO BALANCE, CREATING A FEELING OR AESTHETIC WITH RATIONAL INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES”