In Kenji Abe‘s Tokyo studio, cast-off aluminum cans find new life as the striking lighting sculpture known as Aperire. But Abe’s work doesn’t just recycle the material; it celebrates its origins. Each fixture’s surface retains the raw impurities of its former life, turning wrinkles, bubbles, and ex-ink smudges into unique textures that define the piece.
The process Abe employs preserves the personality of the cans, melting them down while leaving their impurities intact. The resulting surface, punctuated with unpredictable marks, renders each lighting fixture one-of-a-kind. Ink traces from the cans’ labels and other remnants imbue the metal with an appearance reminiscent of aged stone or bone, making the material’s industrial origin nearly indiscernible.
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The Aperire fixture’s surface seems almost organic upon approach. You might see shallow grooves, irregular ridges, or delicate lines that defy typical metalwork. Despite the material’s recycled status, the final product invites second looks, as the cans’ histories morph into something entirely new.
Sculptural forms inspired by marine life
The design takes inspiration from foraminifera, tiny marine organisms with skeletons filled with holes and chambers. This, paired with the lamp’s eroded-rock appearance, was achieved by shaping geometric forms through both addition and removal. Light ebbs from within the hollowed center, emerging through the openings in a subtle, diffused manner.
The synergy of art and nature can also be seen in how hair sculptures grow like branches, merging the organic and the sculptural.
A name that opens new possibilities
Aperire, meaning “to open” in Latin, connects to both aperture — a camera component controlling light flow — and naturally opening flowers of April. This act of opening mirrors the lamp’s function, softly releasing light rather than forcefully projecting it, making the name less a brand and more an accurate descriptor.
The fixture avoids loudly proclaiming its sustainable origins. It simply embodies transformation — from discarded waste to an art piece meriting prominence on any shelf or table. Its quiet honesty sidesteps conventional eco-narratives, ensuring the spotlight remains firmly on the object itself.
Source: yankodesign.com