Let there be light: Bespoke makers

Let there be light

Story by Zoë Kassiotis. Photography by Jason Porter.

Page left: Two large pendants are complemented with two beautifully crafted plasma-cut car bonnets. Top: The immersive experience of the A Small Art Factory’s Lit Exhibition at the Fleurieu Arthouse is immersive – and includes cool tunes plus a large collection of the artists’ bespoke lighting. Bottom: Spring Garden. A repurposed wine barrel ring is brought to life and illuminated by a concealed LED.

Where there’s light, there’s enrichment of life. Done right, interior lighting can be a focal point and a conversation piece, working as a functional and aesthetic enhancement of our living and working spaces.

Design experts are predicting that 2022 is the year of bespoke and designer lighting schemes that combine technical aspects with decorative effects. SA local artists and designers are part of the movement, making their own modern, limited production interpretations of designer lighting trends. There’s something to be said for the talented creatives who are producing functional art that inspires, even when turned off. Warren Pickering and Anna Small are the husband and wife team behind A Small Art Factory. The imaginative duo have been marrying elements of delicate nature, hard steel and warm light to create a collection of dynamic lighting pieces. Anna owns and runs the Fleurieu Arthouse, which is where we meet while their immersive lighting exhibition, Lit, is in full swing. ‘Our teenage son goes around referring to things being lit if they’re really good, so that kind of inspired the name,’ Warren chuckles.

Warren first started producing lighting pieces out of necessity for the Arthouse. He was shocked by the price of pendant lights and so resorted to crafting his own. But it was the couple’s earlier trip to Morocco that flicked the initial switch. Along with more rugs and homewares than four hands could carry, Warren and Anna returned with an appreciation for detailed pendant lights. >

Page left and above: Bernie’s Papier lights at her hair salon /shop – Rollo at Factory 9, Port Elliot.

This mix of inspiration, innovation and ten-hour days over the festive period culminated in something magical. Every piece has its own imprint and tells a story by throwing out light. The distinctive shadows, shapes and textures dance together in a way that feels transformative. Warren’s Kangaroo Paw pendant – made from hand cut aluminum – transports me to rocky outback hikes. ‘The light projected onto its surroundings really makes a space come alive,’ Warren says.

While Anna opts to create more floral, birds-and-the-bee designs, Warren described his style as more decorative. ‘I intend my pieces to be raw and organic in the way that they explore the relationship between the light, texture and movement,’ he says. ‘The wall hangings specifically explore textural elements because I wanted them to move as the perspective changes and feel handmade in the details.’

Ordinarily artists working with metal would transition from hand to laser cut methods, but in this case, Warren and Anna have gone back to crafting entirely by hand – a steady one at that. Each light hanging seamlessly welds contradictions between night and day, heavy metals and soft lines, big impact and intricate detail. Warren works tirelessly to classical music after inspiration strikes. ‘I go for daily beach walks down at Moana beach and often pick up a shell, some seaweed or an urchin and take ideas from just one tiny section that I like,’ Warren explains. When I ask Warren what makes his pieces more meaningful than a bulk production light he tells me the importance of buying bespoke, limited production pieces is really up to the buyer: ‘Once a piece is finished in my mind it’s already someone else’s and they decide what it means to them.’ Anna adds that this meaning gives handcrafted goods value, ‘There’s a special story cut into each one.’ She envisions their pieces being a focal point of outdoor entertaining areas. The visionary couple say their metal art is made with love, grunt and sweat, but it’s the love stories of reclaimed materials, beach walks and hands creating to classical music that sing out to me.

The multidisciplinary team at Adelaide design firm Enoki specialises in visual communication and interior architecture. A commitment to constantly exploring new directions led to a design collaboration with designer Vi Nguyen in 2009 – a sophisticated partnership that culminated in Enoki’s alluring Cumulus pendants.

Enoki likens the experience of gazing up at their Cumulus pendants to laying on one’s back outside and imagining the possibilities of a cloud’s form. Susanna Bilardo, Enoki designer and director, and office manager Nina Begini said the cloudscape through Adelaide’s city skyline inspired the dynamic design. ‘The lights give a city vibe, but one that exists in harmony with nature,’ Susanna says. The pendants are an effortlessly slick approach to designer lighting; their plywood structures are elegantly functional, their beauty only enhanced by their cotton and linen veil. >

Above: Enoki’s Cumulus Pendant light in muslin. Things dreams are made of – soft diffused light – looks so good. Photo courtesy of Enoki.

Simply lifting this dream-like cloak reveals the polished beauty of Enoki’s Cumulus Nude Pendant. These contemporary lights were created as an extension of the original design and are available in natural ply, black and white – a clean colour scheme that allows the angular structure to make a statement. ‘Both designs are intended to fulfill the contradiction by being industrial, while remaining organic in nature,’ Nina explains.

Use of clever, indirect lighting pieces like Enoki’s designs are key to achieving that ‘wow factor’ in the home spaces we’re spending so much time in. ‘We just want to make sure that lighting is really considered, rather than an afterthought because it is such a crucial element,’ Susanna says. ‘Whether it’s a simple piece or an intentional feature, the fact that you’re purchasing an original piece holds unique value.’

Bernadette Kelly’s lightbulb moment came while seated under the designer lights she and her partner had ordered from Spain. A creator and collector, Bernie felt inspired to create her own light fittings, combining papier mache and plaster to create textured, raw shapes. Her lamps are fittingly called Papier in an ode to the ancient art of layering paper and other materials. ‘Both rough and elegant, my lamps are a visible nod to nature,’ she says.

Hanging in harmony with their natural environment, Bernie’s organic lights are perfectly at home here on the coast and can be found adorning the stairwells of local homes or admired at Valley of Yore in Myponga and her Port Elliot salon, Rollo. There’s a real sense that the earthy lamps are shaped in a way that encourages us to shine a light on natural imperfections.

Every Papier lamp is uniquely made to order. Bernie sits down to begin the process by discussing design, space and colour options with those interested in her bespoke creations. The final coat of plaster – used to give that chalky finish – can be mixed with paint to achieve anything from a statement colour dipped around the rim to a terracotta look, Bernie explains.

Standing under the three white Papier lights at Valley of Yore while ordering a chai floods one with warm childhood memories of balloons hugged in layers of watery glue-soaked newspaper. It’s remarkable to note the way talented locals are designing pieces that bring warmth, comfort and openness into our spaces – positively impacting the quality of our lives one light at a time.