Stella
For ‘Solace’ at the Southern Guild Gallery
Materials: Leather and Stainless Steel
Illumination: 8 x E27 bulbs 220v 4000k or 2900k
Dimensions: 1000mm top diameter, 1200mm height
The elements of design for the chandelier were adapted from a single lamp design I was already working with – the Blade Light. As industry and movement were restricted and also from a sense of restraint I tried to reinterpret a new form but using the existing manufacturing elements I already had in place.
The design is a story of two parts – the decorative leather cladding and the stainless steel architectural structure.
I wanted to create something that was equally beautiful from the outside as from the inside where the framework is revealed.
The form celebrates the natural world. The leather panels are arranged like leaves, petals, scales or feathers. On an intimate level each unique panel draws inspiration from leaves and defoliation by insects – simultaneously beautiful and vulnerable.
Looking outwards, to the immensely expansive and distant, the piercings are evocative of constellations of stars. It is a reminder of the echoes that we see in nature from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. Everything is linked.
The structure also draws from the insect world and the cells of a wasp nest or beehive. When looking inside the space is inviting – at once a refuge and a cathedral.
The soft bone white colour was chosen for its aspect of peace. Away from the frenetic pace of regular life, a sense of tranquility.
The name Stella, Latin for star, refers to the seven point star shape of the chandelier as well the constellation like perforations in the panels. Stella is also our daughter’s name. This seemed fitting as the piece took shape in our home at a time when much time was spent together.
Xavier Clarisse, November 2020