Completed Bibliography:

Eliasson, O., Bal, M., & Grynsztejn, M. (2007).

Take your time: Olafur Eliasson. San Francisco, Calif: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Eliasson’s installations and explorations of atmospheric and light phenomena are inspiring in their self-sufficiency.  He does not rely on exaggerated gestures of any sort, and I think that as I am exploring concepts for a luminaire, that his minimalism will provide a great framework to begin with.  By being very intentional with each iteration, I can come to better understand exactly how to create the desired phenomena and marry that into a luminaire.

http://mocoloco.com/fresh2/2011/03/16/mummy-lamp-by-bruno-rainaldi.php

Bruno Rainaldi’s work seems to embody just the right amount of minimalism and intrigue that I think I will be pursuing.  Mummy Lamp is a series of overlapping metallic ribbons that are not quite perfectly aligned, which allows for a certain amount of bounced color to escape onto the white exterior of the pendant.  I appreciate the manner in which Rainaldi incorporated bounced light into his luminaire, and given my past explorations this quarter I think that it could be something I would like to incorporate into my design.

Lobell, J., & Kahn, L. I. (2008). Between silence and light: spirit in the architecture of Louis I. Kahn. Boston: Shambhala.

Louis Kahn’s words and work are an excellent source of inspiration, especially with regards to light.

March, L., & Steadman, P. (1974). The geometry of environment: an introduction to spatial organization in design. Cambridg, MA: M.I.T. Press.

After reading some passages from this book I began to think about how I could use geometries in my final project, resulting in the radial arrangement of fins as well as the cubic shape.

Maurer, I., & Bauer, H. (1992). Ingo Maurer: making light. Munich, Germany: Nazraeli Press.

The book contains candid interviews and descriptions of Ingo Maurer’s practice, and summaries and thoughts on many of his projects.  This book is more exhaustive in that respect than Michael Webb’s, but it was published 11 years earlier, so it does not cover Maurer’s most recent work.

Serfaty, A. (n.d.). Overview. Aqua Creations Lighting and Furniture Atelier. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://www.aquagallery.com/

Aqua Creations is a lighting and furniture design firm based in Tel Aviv, Israel.  They produce beautiful, marine-like lighting sculptures.  Much of their body of work consists of silk-covered welded wire frames illuminated from within.  It is a very simple technique that is repeated over a multitude of shapes and frames with elegant results.  Their work is sensual, with the flowing curves of water and marine life guiding it.  Their recent work explores a greater range of materials such as glass filaments and other fabrics.

Swirnoff, L. (2003). Dimensional color. New York: W.W. Norton.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the role of color in the environment around us, and how different color effects can be achieved.  I have been very interested in the phenomena of bounced color in some of my previous studies, and I have been experimenting with the ways in which this might be incorporated into my final luminaire project.

Tanizaki, J. (2008). In praise of shadows. Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publ.

Tanizaki’s book is beautifully written, and he speaks in length about the beauty that exists in dimly lit environments.  The Western approach to lighting space is to over-illuminate and wash everything out. Tanizaki points out how little light we really need for day to day tasks, and how e

nvironments with shadows add depth, imagination, and meaning to space.

Webb, M. (2003). Ingo Maurer. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Maurer’s work is eclectic in nature, contrasting other designers on this list such as Aqua Creations.  This book is a small collection of his projects, and provides a short overview of how he runs his practice, and the nature of his design process.

This volume has a great number of inspiring art pieces created with artificial lighting.  One that particularly caught my eye was Jorge Pardo’s Ohne Titel (Lamp), found on page 608.  It’s a very dynamic and sculptural luminaire that is almost explosive in nature, but very balanced in its use of color and form.  I particularly enjoy the cool blue exterior, and the mechanical warmth of the interior in its yellow glow and the metal erector-set style frame.