sex lamp - why not

I didn’t intend this lamp to be my major project, and I still don’t. I have something else in the works which will hopefully give me an opportunity to branch out more. So, this Luminaire project was always about identifying my process, the weaknesses, strengths, shortfalls and time wasting tactics. So in tandem with actually researching, polling, drawing, mind-mapping and designing I was keeping a note of my progress and ‘design process’.

Initially I jumped into the project too quickly, thinking everything through in my head. Due to my finite memory some ideas were pursued more whole heartedly as I couldn’t get all my ideas down on paper. That initial fervour was lost because the best apples were picked out of the basket, and the others were lost – what I mean is the peripheral ideas which might have seemed stupid at the time were discarded. In future, I think it would be better to have a piece of paper with me there when I get the project, because then I can get down my initial reactions straight away instead of pondering, dreaming and troubling myself over it. In this way I can take the ‘rush factor’ out – the desire to think of something quickly which solves the design problem in a complete way. This rush factor usually leads to obsessively interesting results but requires a fair amount of post-rationalisation.

My initial ideas revolved around the idea of a fun or quirky lamp. The two which stood out to me were a brooch which was lit by an LED and had a slot to house a slide. The slide would be lit from the inside, and though could not project, would light up and show a scene from a holiday etc. The slide is also changeable.
The second concept was the combination of a basic Compact fluorescent on a standard wire with a fan attached so that the light would spin in a circle after it had been on for a while. This contraption could be housed in a semi translucent bowl to diffuse the moving light and limit the change in light. It could also break health and safety regulations!

In the second week of the process I reassessed my ideas, and decided to start from scratch and take a more studious approach to designing. I blocked out previous thoughts and brainstormed from the centre idea of a lamp as stated in the brief. From this I extracted the idea of a lamp which could crudely be described as a sex lamp. I mean it to be a lamp which excites, is tender and calming, provides luscious light, is about intimacy and is a bit racy as well. These definitions are from different ends of the spectrum, and I made an effort in the next design exercise to bring them together.

In Studies we have been talking about rhizomatic structures. Rhizomes are non hierarchical, interconnected, non linear, non random structures. I took this thinking and mixed it with some IDEO/playgroup policies of not restricting ideas. With this in mind, and an overall idea of how I wanted the lamp to look, and the kind of process I wanted to use I began. The structure of the brainstorm I ended up with was not rhizomatic because it is hierarchical and semi linear, but involved piggy backing ideas on from another one, and taking ideas on a kind of journey. It forms an excellent map of the way I put together different factors of the lamp, to create the first concept in the ‘home straight’ of the design process of the lamp.

What I hadn’t included was research – which Kate correctly pointed out was essential. To tell the truth, I hadn’t really defined who I was designing for, and as I analysed the features the lamp had, they weren’t always ones which were totally suitable, they were generally just the ones I liked. Hence I came to the conclusion that I was designing for me, not a specific ‘target market’. I could have completely different ideas of intimate light than a girl for instance.
So, I embarked on some very informal questioning with people around me. They are all between 18-25 and both male and female. My method of questioning was quite direct, and in hindsight I planted ideas in their heads before letting them think originally. My original suspicions of colour, mood and function were quite accurate, but the research uncovered that the idea and practical function of the lamp was excellent (i.e the research subjects agreed that it would be both intimate and sexy) though the form wasn’t fully resolved. Some thought that my lamp was unfortunately quite phallic, which I had done intentionally, but the majority thought was too tacky. They suggested that I take a more conservative approach, and I agree that the form should not be the most important thing. It is a functioning purposeful lamp, not another light in the room.

So I set about new form studies, taking the need for a solid ‘base’ which could house a touch sensitive switch/battery for the LEDs and also the lace screen. I took into account that the form should take second place to the function, and not take too much attention. I was determined to keep it as an innocent lamp when off, and a sultry lamp when on.
I quickly played around with shapes with thumbnail sketches, keeping a basic lamp shape, but taking the ‘phallic’ symbol away. I started to form a short stump lamp which looks like a hanging skirt similar to Phillipe Stark’s Rosy Angelis.

I then went on to CAD to model up a simple shape. But really its not important, I have what I wanted – a demonstration of the process which suits me – now all I have to do is try to make it more efficient.