Design prototyping has started in the studio, this particular material is not easy to work with and it has taken years for the 3D printing industry to explore ethical materials use, especially in the recycled arena. The quality and cleanliness of the source material being the key to this process. PET plastic is a global blight on the environment, especially within our rivers and oceans; it is particularly vulnerable to breakdown into dangerous particles when exposed to the sun with the water’s agitation for a prolonged period.

Currently eight new designs are in development including my own designs and those of artists collaborating with the Distil Ennui Studio™. This piece seen here is in collaboration with Mana Fabric, who you may remember as Sayan Film from the Dark Vat artist residency where they recorded a documentary for the project.

Inside each design there are several electrical and electronic options to select from. One is a custom-made LED candle flame that is incredibly realistic and works superbly with the fine translucent walls of the lamp shade. Another option is a wireless unit with a rechargeable battery via USB-C, featuring full RGB colour LED technology with the same capabilities as a cabled “mood” lamp. Both can be controlled from a mobile device to select any colour or atmosphere imaginable, each housed within specially designed low power-consumption modules.

The lamps themselves are 3D printed in close collaboration with our filament manufacturer. The studio collects single-use plastic waste from local schools and universities after being washed by the students themselves. That material is then up-cycled through our supplier’s patented process, and we receive the filament ready to work with in the studio. Tests so far have been clean and stable.

I am not comfortable designing or making anything that does not have material integrity at its core. This lighting range is no different, with the materials influencing the design from the very beginning.

We are all becoming more aware that the natural limits to growth are being overstepped, which leads me to search for answers of different kinds — collecting data and learning processes intent on increasing environmental awareness.

My work has always explored issues of overpopulation, pollution, disappearing small-holding farmland, polluting rivers and underground water resources alike, the loss of ice sheets, and the growing scarcity of energy sources and raw materials.

Throughout these explorations lies a common theme: responsible, circular development and the close examination of data are indispensable to forming a well-informed and accurate position for public discourse, particularly where a lack of transparency raises fundamental issues around corporate governance and accountability.

view the collection.