Image via Hotchkiss Mobiles
I have always been attracted to kinetic sculptures—to their movement, their energy, their artistic nature. I fell in love with the art of Joel Hotchkiss after buying one of his mobiles from the Guggenheim Store in NYC. After researching more of his work, calling him and getting to know him on the phone, he made several custom pieces for me. I then had him make eight pink sculptures for a Pink Aid fundraiser two years ago, and they were a huge hit. Today, I still love his work just as much, if not more, and I’m happy to say I can now call him a friend.
Here are a few swoon-worthy light fixtures whose grace and sculptural quality remind me of mobiles.
1. I love everything Bec Brittain does, but her Themis 68 sconce in brushed brass with white marble and ivory glass is extra special, and the arch gives it that mobile-like movement. Image via
2. Talk about kinetic energy. Naama Hofman's Tube Pendant Collection has so much flexibility, with brass arms and LED-lit acrylic tubes that can be reconfigured into different arrangements. Image by Uri Grun via
3. The OTTO Double fixture from David Weeks Studio might be a bit more linear than the traditional mobile, but the delicateness and arc in its form still conjure the same visions. Image via
4. Örsjö gives the best description of its Decostick pendant: "a modern chandelier flirting with the 1930s." JV Arkitekter designed the fixture as part of a renovation of the Hotel Riviera Strand in Båstad, Sweden. It allows for different strengths of luminosity to emit from the spheres verses the spotlight, so there's movement even in the light itself. Image via
5. Jean-Pascal Gauthier. An instant favorite when I discovered his sculptural, mobile-like lights. They're minimalist and avant-garde at the same time, and the inspiration he draws from Calder is clear. Image via
6. Workstead certainly knows how to create a light fixture as an art piece. Its Bent Wall Lamp is the perfect example. The composition of steel, cast iron and brass keep it industrial and debonair. Image via
7. No mobile-esque post would be complete without including Apparatus. These Trapeze lights are inspired by the dynamics of a circus act, and their seriously fun demeanor comes across especially in Trapeze 1 & 2. Image via
8. And finally, the Hely light by Katriina Nuutinen for Klong, made of colored glass, stainless steel, plastic and LEDs. It looks like a piece of jewelry more than anything else, but the shapely form brings me back to the geometry of a mobile structure suspended in midair. Image via