AZURE_2014_07_08.pdf

winner
lighting
design
Coil lamp
“Castor’s work is often lighthearted,
and you can see that in the Coil Lamp.
The piece is intelligent and made with
an economy of materials. At the same
time, it taps into a Dutch sensibility, but
without being too Dutch.”
Jamie Gray, juror
Designers: Brian Richer with Jesse
Mykolyn and Kei Ng Studio: Castor Design,
Toronto, Ontario
Since 2006, Kei Ng and Brian Richer have
collaborated on various enterprises, from
products to art installations to the interior
of Toronto’s popular nose-to-tail restaurant
Parts & Labour. Their furniture and lighting
can be found at retailers such as Klaus
in Toronto, New York’s Matter, and Lane
Crawford in Hong Kong. castordesign.ca
Bringing new life to utilitarian
objects that no longer have a function
is something Castor Design
has mastered as few other greenconscious
product designers have.
Old fire extinguishers have been
sawn into colourful cup-shaped
pendants; used fluorescent bulbs
have been reconfigured to form
oblong chandeliers; and the Carrara
marble removed from the First
Canadian Place tower in Toronto
a few years ago has found its way
into the duo’s growing collection
of minimalist home accessories
and furniture. In their hands, what
is old, spent and burnt out is just
waiting to be reborn.
Coil Lamp fits in beautifully
with the studio’s unique artist ry
of retooling: it is modestly
con struct ed from a single piece
of machined aluminum rod, with
a copper-plated base and a custom
spring. To power the five-watt
LED, a magnetized Apple MagSafe
first-generation adapter snaps onto
the heel of the light. Assuming that
we all have one or more of these
now-redundant adapters still kicking
around, Castor doesn’t sell the
cord with the lamp. Rather, it offers
an original and wise way for buyers
to re purpose their own stash of
short-lived technology.
62 jul ⁄ aug 2014 az awards annual azuremagazine.com