Hasta La Ideas

Italian-Singaporean studio Lanzavecchia + Wai created these paper lamps in collaboration with a Singaporean craftsman who makes masks for a traditional lion dance.

Called Leone Series 01, the lamps are made from strips of bamboo covered in paper and painted orange inside.

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Photography is copyright Lanzavecchia + Wai and Daniel Peh K.L.

Here are some more details from the designers:

LEONE Series 01 – Handcrafted Lighting Objects
in collaboration with Singapore’s last Lion Dance mask craftsman
Launched at Salone Satellite 2011

During the Milan Design Week 2011,  Lanzavecchia + Wai, a creative studio of Francesca Lanzavecchia and Hunn Wai presented LEONE – Series 01, a family of handcrafted lighting objects at the SaloneSatellite.

“LEONE”

Lanzavecchia + Wai collaborates with Singapore’s last remaining Lion Dance mask craftsman, resulting in Leone Lights which are a series of lamps that bring the artistry of this rare South-East Asian trade into the domestic space.

Hand-made from lithe strips of bamboo, covered by rice paper and then painted internally with a fiery orange inspired by traditional livery, these objects put the Lion dance mask craft literally in a new light to re-enter the public consciousness in a new context and expression.

Bio – Master Henry Ng

Master Henry Ng, having many years of Lion dance performance experience under his belt, dedicated his passion for the art form into the craft of making Lion masks.

Picking up this skill through sheer passion and inquisitiveness, he took this activity seriously and became a full-time craftsman (switching from the job of a precision metal machinist) in the mid-Nineties to cater to the many martial arts associations here.

There were about twenty lion mask craftsmen in Singapore then but competition came in the form of cheaply mass produced lions from China in the late-nineties.

As a result of thinning profit margins, every single craftsmen left the trade and so he became Singapore’s last Lion Dance mask maker, a torch-bearer of a piece of culture passed on from South Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore in the early 20th century.

Photography © Lanzavecchia + Wai
Photography © Daniel Peh K.L.

See also:

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Handmade lights by Asaf Weinbroom	Story lamp by Skar+Vidal	Loom by Benjamin Hubert