Photo: Courtesy of Nader Gammas
The Scarlet Cluster from the Vessels collection.
During my undergraduate studies, I was interested in what lighting had the ability to do. After I graduated and briefly practiced architecture, we were all faced with the 2008 global financial crisis. With no employment, I decided to continue my education. After being accepted into the Parsons lighting program, I understood the flexibility lighting had to offer. I worked at Tirschwell & Co. in New York City on high-end residential projects, then moved to Dubai where I started my own practice. In all, I’ve been working in the lighting field for almost 15 years. My practice is divided into architectural lighting design and designing custom lighting fixtures.
I’ve worked on a wide number of lighting projects, from residences in Beverly Hills, CA, and the Hamptons in New York, to Towers in Dubai and coffee shops in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Apart from the travel, I get to face varying site conditions, which is always a great learning experience. Some projects, especially those which are developer-run, tend to be bureaucratic; I’ve found working directly with clients on high-end residential projects to be much more rewarding.
My favorite projects have strong architectural design concepts. A recent project was a residence in Dubai Hills called ‘House of Courtyards.’ It wasn’t your typical home; it was an exercise in form and composition. Only the bedrooms and two formal spaces had outward-facing windows, the rest opened up to courtyards. For us, it was an exercise in what surfaces should not be illuminated, allowing for a careful approach to the story we wanted to tell. It was about illuminating the spaces end users would look at, not the spaces end users would be resting in.
“All Vessels are handmade without molds, so each is unqiue.”
I try to use a variety of tools. When designing for architectural lighting, I gravitate toward fixtures that offer many options and accessories within the same family for consistency. In designing custom lighting projects, I use fixtures that employ brass where designs host other material.
The Vessels collection is an attempt to move away from heavily relying on brass and edgy shapes toward organic forms. The composition is inspired by selected families of cup fungi, each with a unique growth pattern. All Vessels are handmade without molds, so each is unique. The ceramic Vessels work well with a sensual play of light and shadow.
I’m looking to expand my collection, explore collaborations with established brands, and use lighting as a tool to relay information about the built and natural environment.