Tim Annin

Bark Lamp

3rd year: Digital Fabrication (fall 2011): 15 weeks

The class began with one rule: digitally fabricate something. I knew I wanted to make an object for my parents that would fit with our log cabin home and explore Grasshopper in the process. I also sought to build something that would creatively use materials. After learning of the translucent properties of some porcelains,  a lamp became a way to explore surface effects, patterning & the differences between the object's on & off states.

I used Grasshopper to create a surface pattern from an image of oak bark in keeping with the natural materials of our home, in both circular & rectangular iterations. Next, I was able to undertake the multi-stage process to produce the panels & base for the lamp. I slip-cast the panels individually, bisque fired them (still opaque), used mylar stencils & a sand blaster to remove material per the pattern, carefully cleaned them and then refired the panels to a higher temperature, fusing the materials and giving them translucent characteristics. I CNC milled the bases, leaving space within the multiple layers to hide the wiring & ultimately assembled both iterations of the lamp, both circular & rectangular.