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FEATURE | BESPOKE LIGHTING
Images: Johan Nelander
Relight Värnamo, Sweden ‘Relight’ is an art installation based on older lamp cups of various kinds. The rubber factory of Värnamo, Sweden, was once the towns largest employer but had long been forgotten about after it shutdown. After several years of neglect the building itself had become somewhat of an eyesore to the inhabitants of Värnamo. And so, an idea was born to create a dynamic platform that would offer culture, education and entrepreneurial guidance. When the decision was made to revitalise the building and create a ‘creative meeting ground regardless of age and background’, artist David Svensson was inspired to find something new in the old completed chapter. The time of the factory was long since over, but would enable new life. Thus came the idea of ‘Relight’ - an art installation consisting of nearly 250 pieces of old pressed glasses that no one found to be interesting. The idea was instead to revitalise these lamp cups, embedding them with new content and meaning. Together they would no longer be forgotten, but form
a unity and light sculpture in the form of a chandelier in the foyer of Gummifabriken. The chandelier, made in collaboration with Swedish lighting brand Blond, measures some 225cm and mixes simple, but at the same time refined, glasses, which have been meticulously placed and aligned depending on their different sizes, shapes, patterns and colours. While the single pressed glasses were found by visiting flea markets and second-hand shops in northern Europe, the artwork was created and assembled in the very same town that the chandelier now hangs. Located in the southern part of Sweden, Värnamo is a town known for its industrial heritage with a rich abundance of manufacturing companies of whom many are heavily export-oriented. www.blond.se www.davidsvensson.net