David Weeks collaborates with Tala
(UK) – The Reflection range is the first in a trilogy of design collaborations between award-winning New York designer, David Weeks, and London-based lighting brand, Tala.
Representing Tala’s first international design collaboration, David Weeks has offered a playful take on some of Tala’s most celebrated luminaire designs, composing four sophisticated table lamps that reflect the form and finish of the light bulbs.
Reflection will officially launch online and from selected retailers from December 2020.
Sourced from some of the world’s premium porcelain material, the semi-translucent porcelain is hand-thrown and twice-fired to facilitate the reflective glaze that adorns the top third of the lamp and defines the piece. Meanwhile, each lamp is hand adjusted and measured to ensure a perfect fit with the lamp, achieving a beautiful symmetry between the lamp and the light source.
Complete with an inline dimmer, the lamps showcase Tala’s typical high-performance LED dimming, further enhancing the playful nature of the lamp.
Weeks says: “I wanted to make a modern, less frilly version of a side lamp wherein the shape of the bulb makes up the volume of the form. The porcelain base has an organic softness that still feels very clean and unfussy. We circled the joint of the lamp with a high gloss glaze, a subtle detail that really activates the innate elegance of its modest form.
“Asymmetry is achieved by working backward, starting at the end. We decide where we want the bulbs to go and then solve the problem of getting them there. This way awkwardness always has remedy; it gets reconciled along the way. The result is off-kilter but wholly balanced.
“Collaborating with Tala was a really energising experience for us. Because we make so much of what we do, our quantities are necessarily limited by our capacity. It’s exciting to be working on a bigger scale, bringing more product to more people. There’s a real sense of opportunity in freeing up design from so much of the making, finding new ways of tapping into the rhythm of the studio.”
Marking a first exploration away from the wood and metal-based fixtures that have defined Tala’s catalogue thus far, the delicate and exquisite finish of the lamps represent a new chapter for the brand, spearheaded by new CEO, Eric Magun. He writes: “Partnering with David was a natural fit for the brand, as we look to elevate the LED bulb by honouring it in its most natural form. The Reflection series is exactly that, an artistic impression of a light form, deliberate on materials used, and a meditation of what it means to celebrate conservation through beauty.”
Two further design ranges by David Weeks, ‘Echo’ and ‘Mirage’ will launch in 2021.
