L e ft to rig h t: In stallin g
B i g W h e e l ,
2001, w all
sc u lp tu re (d e ta il), 28
th ro w n tra n slu c e n t
w ings m o u n ted on m etal
b ack p la te.
Photos/James Grabbe (left)
and Gilles le Corre.
L e ft to rig h t:
V e r t i c a l
P o d s ,
2 0 0 0 , th ro w n
tra n slu c e n t fo rm s su s-
p en d e d from 12-volt
tra ck sy stem .
Photo/Gillcs le Corre.
T ra n slu cen t p o rcelain
w all d isk s, 2 0 0 2 ,
com m ission fo r L o u is
P o u lso n sh o w ro o m ,
C o p en h ag en , D enm ark.
Photo/B. Ryberg.
R o y al C o p en h a g en
lig h t, 2 0 0 6 , c a st tra n s -
lucen t p o rcelain , one
o f 6 0 in sta lle d in th e
com pany sh o w ro o m .
Photo/James Crabbe.
B am b o o lit w a te r fe a -
tu re , 2 0 0 8 , c a st and
stack ed tran slu cen t p o r-
celain elem en ts, b u ilt
at S anbao In tern atio n al
C era m ic In s titu te .
C o p e n h a g e n s o lid v a s e m o ld to p r o d u c e a n o r ig in a l tr a n s lu c e n t lig h t
fo r m . E a c h fo r m w a s s lic e d in t o t h r e e s e c t io n s , n e a t ly r e m o v in g a n y
t r a c e o f th e s e a m s c r e a t e d b y th e m o ld s . H a r d w a r e w a s d e v is e d th a t
w o u ld in c o n s p ic u o u s ly h o ld t h e s e c t io n s t o g e t h e r a n d s u p p o r t th e
e le c t r ic a l e le m e n t s . S in c e th e lig h t in g w a s f o r a s t a ir c a s e v o i d - t h e
s t a ir s h a d b e e n r e m o v e d , b u t a n o p e n b a l c o n y r e m a in e d o n t h e s e c -
o n d f l o o r - t h e 6 0 s u s p e n d e d c a s t p o r c e la in u n its c o u ld b e s e e n fr o m
b o t h a b o v e a n d b e lo w . O 'R o r k c ’ s in s t a lla t io n o c c u p ie s th e a r c h i t e c -
tu ra l s p a c e w it h a s t r ik in g d is p la y o f lig h t a n d s c u lp tu r a l fo r m , a n d
a p p r o p r ia t e ly s h o w c a s e s R o y a l C o p e n h a g e n ’ s c r e a t iv e s p ir it —a n d
h e r s a s w e ll.
G iv e n O ’ R o r k e ’ s d e v o t io n t o p o r c e l a in , it is f i t t i n g t h a t s h e ’ s
a c c e p t e d s e v e r a l in v ita tio n s to w o r k at S a n b a o I n te r n a tio n a l C e r a m ic
A r t I n s t it u t e o u t s id e J in g d z h e n , t h e “ P o r c e l a in C i t y ” in C h in a .
H e r m o s t r e c e n t v i s i t t o t h e h is t o r ic a l h o m e o f p o r c e la in r e s u lt e d
in a m a g n ific e n t fo u n t a in , o r in t h e p a r la n c e , “ a r c h it e c t u r a l w a t e r
f e a t u r e .” In 1 9 9 5 O ’ R o r k e c r e a t e d a w a t e r fe a t u r e - s c u lp t u r e in E n g -
la n d th a t w a s e s s e n t ia lly a s t a c k o f r o u n d e d v e s s e l fo r m s ; it e v o lv e d
fr o m t h r e e m o n t h s a t R y o j i K o i e ’ s s t u d i o in J a p a n in 1 9 9 2 , w h e r e ,
in s p ir e d b y K o i e ’ s f r e e s p i r i t , s h e w o r k e d w i t h a lo c a l c la y t h a t
a ls o h e lp e d “ f r e e h e r u p .” O 'R o r k e c r e a t e d t h e J in g d z h e n fo u n t a in
t h r o u g h a d iffe r e n t p r o c e s s . I le r a s s is ta n t la b o r io u s ly s lip -c a s t fin e
p o r c e la in fr o m m o ld s o f s e c t io n s o f b a m b o o . S h e th e n b u ilt a g ia n t
s t a c k o f c r is s c r o s s e d e le m e n ts . W h e n w a t e r e n te r s th e p ic t u r e , th e
t e c h n ic a l p r o b le m s b e c o m e e v e n m o r e c o m p lic a t e d , b u t O ’ R o r k e
h a s m a s t e r e d p u m p s a n d p lu m b in g . O n e s id e b e n e f it o f th e fo u n ta in
p r o je c t h a s b e e n t h e c r e a t io n o f m u lt ip le s m a ll lig h t in g u n its m a d e
fr o m th e c a s t s o f in d iv id u a l s e c t io n s o f b a m b o o , w h ic h w e r e a b o u t
t o b e t h r o w n o u t . T h e s e lig h t s , s u it a b le f o r t a b le o r w a ll u s e , s u g -
g e s t b o t h r u d im e n t a r y a n c ie n t la m p s a n d m in im a lis t c o n t e m p o r a r y
d e s ig n , a n d o f f e r a n o t h e r d e m o n s t r a t io n o f O ’ R o r k e ’ s a b i l i t y to
b le n d t r a d it io n a lis m a n d m o d e r n it y .
In s p ite o f th e e x h a u s tin g a s p e c t s o f h e r c h o s e n p u r s u it , w it h a ll
its e n d le s s tr ia l- a n d - e r r o r , O ’ R o r k e p e r s e v e r e s . S h e s a y s o f c o m -
m e r c ia l p r o d u c t io n , “ I t ’ s a lw a y s g o in g to b e e x p e n s iv e , b e c a u s e i t ’ s
a lw a y s g o in g t o b e c r a f t e d .” Y e t s h e r e ta in s h e r h o p e , a f t e r s e v e r a l
n e a r m is s e s , th a t a s y m p a t h e t ic m a n u fa c t u r e r w ill a p p e a r in s p ite o f
t h e e c o n o m ic d o w n t u r n . A f t e r a ll, s h e n o t e s , " I h a v e p r o v e d th a t
it is p o s s ib le t o m a k e t h in g s t h a t c o u ld o n ly b e d r e a m e d o f . ” S h e is
c le a r ly a d e t e r m in e d p e r s o n w h o d o e s n o t s t o p b e fo r e s h e h a s ta k e n
a n id e a t o a s a t i s f a c t o r y c o n c lu s io n , a s w h e n s h e s a y s , “ W h y am
I p u r s u in g t h e s e im p o s s ib le id e a s ? B e c a u s e I w a n t t o d e m o n s t r a t e
w h a t c a n b e d o n e . I t ’ s th e q u a li t y th a t t h e p o r c e l a in g i v e s t o lig h t
th a t d r iv e s m e . I c a n 't r e s is t e x p lo r in g t h e p o s s ib ilit ie s . O n e d a y
I m a y fe e l I 'v e d o n e m y lig h t t h in g .
... B u t I’ m n o t q u ite d o n e y e t . ” +
G im m e M o r e !
c a s t lig h t .c o .u k
054
american craft jun/julo
9
