| THE AWARD |
| CATEGORIES |
| REGISTRATION |
| SUBMIT YOUR WORK |
| ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS |
| TERMS & CONDITIONS |
| PUBLICATIONS |
| DATES & FEES |
| METHODOLOGY |
| CONTACT |
| WINNERS |
| PRESS ROOM |
| GET INVOLVED |
| DESIGN PRIZE |
| DESIGN STORE |
| THE AWARD | JURY | CATEGORIES | REGISTRATION | PRESS | WINNERS | PUBLICATIONS | ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS |
Khepri Lighting Unit by Hisham El Essawy |
Home > Winners > Design #124131 >Interview |
 |
|
FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
HE: The Ancient Egyptians watched the scarab rolling dung into a ball and pushing it along the ground to its burrow, they made a connection between the movement of the sun across the sky and the movement of the dung ball pushed by the scarab. Egyptians believed that it pushes the sun every morning into the sky (light), then back to the underworld in the evening (Darkness). They named it Khepri: The scarab god of rising of morning sun and rebirth. Khepri is our inspiration for lighting units.
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
HE: Presenting Ancient Egyptian design in its abstract form that would fit in contemporary 2021 designs.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
HE: To produce Khepri locally and export it worldwide, for the contemporary Egyptian design to reach the international audience.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
HE: It took me two months to reach the final design of Khepri.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
HE: It was an inspiration pursuit. I was intrigued and mentally challenged to integrate the Anicent Egyptian beliefs in the contemporary style, through developing a complex form (Scarab Beetle), to extract the outline of Khepri (Lighting Unit) to be functional and deliver the concept of Scarab Beetle God of Light and recreation that was believed by Ancient Egyptians.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
HE: I'm planning to partner with a prominent local lighting production company and co-produce Khepri with them, then sell it locally and worldwide.
FS: What made you design this particular type of work?
HE: The central belief surrounding Khepri was the god's ability to renew life, in the same way he restored the sun's existence every morning. Mummified scarab beetles and scarab amulets have been found in Pre-dynastic graves, indicating that Khepri was respected early on in the history of Ancient Egypt. Khepri was principally depicted as a scarab beetle and this is the form that i started to abstract it to it's minimal form showing the rebirth of light coming from the heart of the darkness of Khepri in a modern Lighting unit.
FS: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
HE: No, it was an individual process.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
HE: Anyone interested in contemporary lighting fixtures, from Class A individuals, FF&E, to showrooms and exhibitions.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
HE: There is no similar or resembling concepts in the market.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
HE: The name is based on the inspiration behind the design, which is Khepri. The Ancient Egyptians watched the scarab rolling dung into a ball and pushing it along the ground to its burrow, they made a connection between the movement of the sun across the sky and the movement of the dung ball pushed by the scarab. Egyptians believed that it pushes the sun every morning into the sky (light), then back to the underworld in the evening (Darkness). They named it Khepri: The scarab god of rising of morning sun and rebirth. Khepri is our inspiration for lighting units.
FS: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
HE: The idea was first started with freehand sketches, then it was further developed on AutoCad then shapr 3D, then rendered on Vray using 3DS max.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
HE: Khepri is a floor lamp and also a pendent that is designed based on ancient Egyptians Khepri concept. Just touch Khepri and light will be on: From the Darkness to the Light - as ancient Egyptians always believed. Developed from the evolution of Egyptian scarab shape, Khepri is equipped with a dimmable LED that is regulated by a touch sensor switch that provides three settings adjustable brightness by a touch.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
HE: No, it was an individual effort.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
HE: I used technology in every step. From design development using software applications - AutoCad, shapr 3D, 3DS max - to prototyping using 3D printers, and finally production method using CNC machines.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
HE: Khepri design was based on qualitative research on the concept. The central belief surrounding Khepri was the god's ability to renew life, in the same way he restored the sun's existence every morning. Mummified scarab beetles and scarab amulets have been found in Pre-dynastic graves, indicating that Khepri was respected early on in the history of Ancient Egypt. Khepri was principally depicted as a scarab beetle and this is the form that i started to abstract it to it's minimal form showing the rebirth of light coming from the heart of the darkness of Khepri in a modern Lighting unit.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
HE: The Integration of Anicent Egyptian believes and the Modern Style, as we worked on developing a complex form (Scarab Beetle), to extract the outline of khepri (Lighting Unit) to be functional and deliver the concept of Scarab Beetle God of Light and recreation that believed by Ancient Egyptian. Also, in the prototyping phase, I have faced some challenges when 3D printing the design, however I collaborated with my design team and 3D printing experts and we have managed to solve all the challenges together.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
HE: I've always wanted to submit my designs to A' Design Award, since it's the most prominent award in the field. As soon as I finalized Khepri, I was quite sure it's a winning design, so I decided to submit it right away, and I was right!
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
HE: I learned how much the Ancient Egyptian designs were progressive and sophisticated, and it wasn't by any means primitive, hence, we found it very challenging to design our Khepri that is inspired from the Ancient Egyptian god Khepri.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
HE: No, thank you!
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
| SOCIAL |
| + Add to Likes / Favorites | Send to My Email | Comment | View Press-Release | Translations |
