Elish Warlop

Light, playful prototyping is a key element for developing new ideas in the studio. This exploratory workshop delves into rapid, fast-paced prototyping to help generate ideas focused on light, form, and material. Students begin by iterating with paper to achieve form, explore luminosity, translucence, and shadow. Through the organic lens of bent wood, we tie it all together with contemporary lighting design. Students design and prototype their own light fixture, blending basic wiring and digital fabrication tools like laser cutting with wood bending methods such as hot pipe bending and bent lamination.

What are the qualities of light that inspire? This exploratory workshop delves into the dynamic properties of light and how it can be shaped and manipulated as a physical material. Rather than incorporating a light source to illuminate a woodworking project, woodworking techniques are used to transform our perception of the light itself. We explore luminosity, translucence, and shadow through the organic lens of bent wood. Students learn basic wiring and are introduced to freeform bent lamination techniques as they prototype a light of their own design.