Exploring Craftsmanship's Future || Good Gourd Lamps Merge Hand-Weaving with 3D Printing at Milan 2024
Within the bustling corridors of La Rotonda del Pellegrini, something extraordinary captures the imagination of design enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
It's Gabriel Tan's "Good Gourd – Hybrid Basketry Lamps," a poetic dialogue between time-honoured craftsmanship and the audacious spirit of innovation.
Good Gourd, to be featured during Milan Design Week at the Future Impact 2 exhibition presented by the DesignSingapore Council, embodies a seamless fusion of traditional hand-weaving techniques with cutting-edge 3D printing technology. These lamps, as much a beacon of cultural heritage as they are of futuristic thinking, represent a harmonious marriage of two worlds – one where the meticulousness of artisanal skill intertwines with the limitless potential of digital fabrication.
A harmonious blend of traditional craft and modern technology. Photo Credit: Gabriel Tan Studio
Crafted in collaboration with the illustrious Spanish artisan Idoia Cuesta, these lamps illuminate more than our spaces; they light up the path for a sustainable future in design. Using recyclable monofilament nylon lines, Cuesta hand-weaves over a 3D-printed structure made from recyclable PMMA, creating a piece that honours the Earth with its materials and message. It's a narrative of conservation and the critical role technology plays in advancing traditional crafts into the new age.
Idoia Cuesta weaving in her workshop in Lugo. Photo Credit: Idoia Cuesta
The duo's design language speaks volumes of their respect for the craft and the need for its evolution. The shapes of the lamps, inspired by the peculiar and captivating forms of gourds and squashes, pay homage to the organic and the natural. At the same time, their structural inspiration from Isamu Noguchi's Akari lanterns nods to a design legacy that is all about balance and grace.
Gabriel Tan Studio, renowned for reinterpreting tradition through a modern lens, has brought to life a collection that boldly challenges the preconceived notions of basketry. This collection inspires us to rethink how we perceive handcrafts. Here, every weave is reminder of the years dedicated to mastering a skill, and every smooth curve born from the 3D printer is a promise of what the future holds.
Design details. Photo Credit: Gabriel Tan Studio
These luminous artifacts aren't just products of ingenuity; they are harbingers of change, drawing us to reimagine the relationship between man, machine, and art. They ask us to ponder – can the new save the old? And in doing so, can we find a balance that neither forsakes our heritage nor ignores the march of progress?
The Good Gourd lamps aren't just lighting up Milan Design Week; they're setting the stage for a brighter, more sustainable, and more creative tomorrow.
