Wednesday Light - Tord Boontje

Wednesday Light, Tord Boontje, 2001. Image © Nick Moss

Object Details

Date of making: 2001
Date of acquisition: 2002
Technique/Process: Metalwork: etching, laser-cutting
Materials: Metal
Dimensions: L1200mm x W120mm
Collection Number: W150

Maker Details

Birthplace: Enschede, Netherlands
Place Trained: Royal College of Art, London, MA Industrial Design, 1992-1994; Design Academy, Eindhoven, BA Industrial Design, 1986-1991
Studio: Studio Tord Boontje, Unit 308, 30 Great Guildford Street, London, SE1 0HS, England
Awards: Crafts Council Setting Up Grant, 2001
Link: website -->

About

Tord Boontje’s Wednesday Collection brought pattern and detail to his furniture and product design, but adhered to his philosophy of producing everyday objects using simple techniques. It wasn’t intended to be too fashionable or perfect, but ‘normal like a Wednesday’. Boontje’s studio work draws from a belief that modernism does not mean minimalism, that contemporary does not forsake tradition, and that technology does not abandon people and senses.

Wednesday Light is made of a laser cut, flat stainless steel sheet that can be wrapped around bare light bulbs. The more affordable re-edition by Habitat in softer brass became one of their best sellers. In 2009 Boontje took up his appointment as Professor and Head of Design Products at the Royal College of Art, London.

Rosy Greenlees
says...

“Tord Boontje received a grant from the Crafts Council in 2001 to explore how to create products directly from a computer generated design, and he is one of the first people to use laser-cutting as a major part of his practice. Wednesday Light was later used as a template for the mass-produced Garland Light, one of Habitat’s most enduring and popular products. His use of new technologies demonstrates the sensibility and innovation of craft: creating objects that are relevant as well as beautiful but that also have a potential application to industry. Wednesday Light is no exception, successfully combining nature, craft and technology in a single piece.”