Hotai Lamp by Jose Schnaider

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DESIGN DETAILS

DESIGN NAME:
Hotai

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Lamp

INSPIRATION:
Hotai refers to the Japanese study for the principles of Zen design. Culture and nature in Japanese design have a complementary relationship, to the point of a homology. Precisely, Hotai, means complement, and proposes a composition of three natural elements: wood, quartz and light that create a perfect synergy that evidences the law of gravity and the refraction of light theories.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The duality of Hotai allows the creation of two atmospheres: On one side, the superior lamp produces an intense beam of light; and on the other side, the inferior lamp through the clear quartz blurs the light stylizing the environment with a sophisticated light.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
It has two independent touch brass buttons that allows controlling the lamp in different intensities. The buttons are located in the right side of the lamp for mapping where to turn it on. Each lamp has three intensities in the beam of the light so it can be customized by the user for the desired type of light.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
The project started in May 2020 in Mexico City and finished in September 2020 for the competition Inedito part of the program of Design Week Mexico

FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY:
Lighting Products and Fixtures Design

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
Hotai is made of maple wood, clear quartz, brass and LED. A traditional technique called yakisugi is applied on the structure, which consists in burning the wood to make it more resistant highlighting its natural veins. Hotai has two independent lamps with three intensities of the beam making it convenient to adapt it to any room environment.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
There are two sizes: 200 x 310 x 460 mm and 160 x 280 x 360 mm.

TAGS:
Lamp, quartz, minerals, refraction of light, Zen design,

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:
Design has been perceived as a way to create new solutions to different situations. The intention of this project was to create a lamp made of two complementary elements in a homological relationship. The second goal for this design was to use a mineral in its composition, in order to experiment with light and a diversity of crystals. The clear crystal was the best option due to the physical phenomena that occurred when exposed to light: first, the mineral absorbed it, revealing its natural inclusions and creating a beautiful effect at its core; second, the quartz refracted the light, producing uncontrolled beams. The next step was the aesthetics of the lamp. In this step, thanks to our research on Japanese Design, the body was defined following the principles of Zen: Funkisei (asymmetry), kanas (simplicity), shizen (naturalness), yugen (deepness) and seijaku (stillness). Its structure is held together by a wood semicircle that, because of its characteristics, could not stand on its own; it is the weight of the crystal quartz sphere that stabilizes the structure in vertical position, complemented by the light. Afterwards, a series of samples for finishings were explored, ending up in the selection of the Yakisugi process, which is a Japanese technique deployed since the 16th century, consisting of burning the wood to make it more resistant. Due to all these references from Japan, it made sense to call the lamp "Hotai", which means “complement” in Japanese as a tribute to the culture that influenced the aesthetics of the lamp.

CHALLENGE:
Finding the right crystal quartz spheres. The purity of the quartz was extremely important, less than high quality would not work because the mineral would look milky and not clear; I needed to find top quality, a crystal that would have many inclusions, but with a super clear appearance. Due to the pandemic of COVID19, artisans in Brazil were not working full time, getting the commission done of the spheres and finding right quality took a lot of time and in some point, it was almost not ready for the due date of the contest

ADDED DATE:
2020-11-05 21:50:40

TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
Jose Schnaider

IMAGE CREDITS:
Ricardo de la Concha

Visit the following page to learn more: https://stenstudio.com/hotai/

CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS

NAME:
Sten Studio

PROFILE:
Sten Studio is a design enterprise located in Mexico City, whose motive is to create objects and furniture that turn the use of minerals as materials into their essence. Thanks to it, all pieces are unique, given the characteristics proper to each of the stones. The studio is born from the passion for geology and industrial design, which has resulted in the experimentation with rock crystals that are yet to be explored in the world of decoration. Our pieces pretend to provoke desires and emotions through the slection of materials and manufacturing techniques. Each project comes from a detailed research and experimentation process that in its development brings together the artisanal and the industrial in order to ensure quality and functionality for every piece. For us to bring about this vision, one of the key values for the studio is teamwork, which has brought about various collaborations with other design studios in Mexico City.

AWARD DETAILS
	Hotai Lamp by Jose Schnaider is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Category, 2020 - 2021. · Read the interview with designer Jose Schnaider for design Hotai here. · Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Jose Schnaider. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Jose Schnaider.