P ro to ty p e fo r slip -cast

p o rcelain c e ilin g o r w all

lig h t, 1999. D ev elo p ed

in a re sid e n c y a t W ad es

C eram ics facto ry .

Photo/Colin Hall.

R u d o l f S t a f f e l , b u t n o t e s th a t h is p o r c e la in c r e a t io n s a re u s u a lly lit

f r o m w i t h o u t , n o t fr o m w i t h i n . “ M y w o r k is e x a c t l y t h e o p p o s i t e ,"

s h e s a y s . “ T h e lig h t g o e s o u t fr o m it , a n d th e r e r e a lly is n o s u r fa c e .”

O ’ R o r k e r e a liz e s s h e m u s t a c c o m m o d a t e m o d e r n lif e a n d lig h t ,

m e a n in g e l e c t r i c i t y . Y e t s h e a lw a y s r e t u r n s t o t h e u n m a tc h e d

w a r m t h o f c a n d le lig h t a s th e s ta n d a r d t o w h ic h s h e a s p ir e s , b e c a u s e

o f t h e w a y i t c a lm s p e o p le a n d d r a w s t h e m t o g e t h e r . P u t s im p ly ,

“ I t m a k e s y o u fe e l g o o d .” A k e y e p is o d e in h e r m o v e to c o n c e n tr a t e

o n lig h t in g w a s a n in v i t a t io n to p a r t ic ip a t e in a 1 9 8 7 e x h ib it io n ,

“ M a k in g L i g h t W o r k , ” a t th e P it t R iv e r s M u s e u m in O x f o r d . T h e r e

O ’ R o r k e w a s a b le to s t u d y th e o b je c t s in th e c o lle c t io n , r e p r e s e n t in g

v ir t u a l l y t h e e n t ir e h i s t o r y o f h u m a n lig h t in g , a n d th e n c r e a t e h e r

o w n s t o n e w a r e h o m a g e to a r c h a ic la m p s u s in g o liv e o il a n d p la it e d

c o t t o n w i c k s .

T h e s u b t le v a r ia t io n s in h a n d - t h r o w n p o r c e l a in , a c c o r d in g

t o O 'R o r k e , le a d t o a r ic h , n o n -m e c h a n ic a l illu m in a t io n : “ B e c a u s e

I 'm a p o t t e r , i t ’s a ll a b o u t t o u c h . B y p u t t in g th e lig h t in s id e a n d m a k -

in g th e c la y t r a n s lu c e n t , y o u ’ re p u t t in g t h e t o u c h o f y o u r h a n d in t o

th e w o r k . I t ’s th e s e n s it iv it y a n d to u c h o f t h e h a n d th a t y o u s e e in

th e lig h t .” D u r in g a r e s id e n c y in 1 9 9 9 a t W a d e s C e r a m ic s a t S t o k e -

o n - T r e n t , O ’ R o r k e le a r n e d h o w to m a k e m o ld s . S h e c r e a t e d th r o w n

m o d e ls th a t r e t a in e d t h e v i t a li t y o f t h r o w in g , a n d a t th e s a m e tim e

w a s h e lp e d b v V a le n t in e C l a y in th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f a s lip n o t a b le

fo r its t r a n s lu c e n c y , w h ic h s h e c o n t in u e s t o u s e to d a y .

E a c h n e w lig h t in g s c u lp t u r e p o s e s a c h a lle n g e f o r O 'R o r k e ,

b e y o n d t h e c r e a t io n o f t h e p o r c e la in f o r m . T h e r e is t h e lig h t in g

t e c h n o l o g y t o b e in c o r p o r a t e d , in c lu d in g b u lb s , w i r i n g a n d

s w i t c h e s ; a n d t h e r e is a ls o t h e h a r d w a r e n e c e s s a r y fo r m o u n t in g

th e w o r k o n th e w a ll o r h a n g in g it fr o m th e c e ilin g , o r th e b a s e th a t

m u s t b e c r e a t e d i f it is fo r a t a b le . Y e t f o r O ’ R o r k e a n y f r u s t r a t io n

c a u s e d b y th e n e e d to m e e t th e s e t e c h n ic a l r e q u ir e m e n ts is m a tc h e d

b y e x c it e m e n t o v e r th e p o s s ib ilit ie s th a t m a y s o o n b e r e a liz e d : “ I

w a n t to u s e th e la te s t t e c h n o lo g y t o d e s ig n a w o r k w h e r e th e w h o le

w a ll lig h t s u p .”

O ’ R o r k e h a s d e v e lo p e d a n a s t o n is h in g r a n g e o f lig h t s c u lp t u r e s :

h a n d - c a r v e d t a b le t o p m o d e ls ; c o m p le x m u lti- u n it w o r k s t h a t b u ild

u p o n j o i n e d , o v e r la p p in g b a n d s th a t s h o w t h e f lu id it y o f h e r t h r o w -

in g a n d h e r s c u lp t u r a l im a g in a tio n ; w a ll u n its t h a t u s e r o w s o f th in

s tr ip s o f p o r c e la in o r m u ltip le d is k s , b a c k lit b y lig h t b o x e s ; su s p e n d e d

p o d s o r g e n t ly c u r v i n g w a ll f ix t u r e s t h a t r e v e a l a fa s c in a t io n w it h

fo r m s d e r iv e d fr o m n a t u r e ; a n d g r e a t c ir c u la r a r r a n g e m e n ts o f w h a t

a p p e a r a s in d iv id u a l f lo w e r p e t a ls , c o m b in e d in to a c e r a m ic e q u iv a -

le n t t o a s t a in e d g la s s r o s e w in d o w .

O n e e s p e c ia lly a m b itio u s p r o je c t s ta n d s o u t a s a m o d e l o f e n t e r -

p r is e , b o t h in d iv id u a l a n d c o m m e r c ia l. In 2 0 0 6 O 'R o r k e w a s in v ite d

to c r e a t e a lig h t in g in s t a lla t io n f o r th e s t a ir c a s e s p a c e o f th e R o y a l

C o p e n h a g e n s h o w r o o m in C o p e n h a g e n . W o r k in g a t th e f a c t o r y w it h

s u p p o r t fr o m c o m p a n y p e r s o n n e l, s h e w a s a b le t o r e - fo r m a R o y a l >

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