Art as Lighting

For this concept, I wanted to explore lighting as a more artistic application for Marble Plastics’ secondary waste material. I considered finding a way to make the material thin enough for light to shine through its lighter areas, or using the material to create a casing around a light source. The idea was inspired by Marcin Rusak’s work, which uses flowers and other organic material within his pieces to create a story around the objects. I was interested in doing something similar with the plastic shavings by making the waste itself the main visual element. When the material is melted together, the different pieces remain visible throughout the surface, which could create an interesting effect when illuminated. The light fixture could become more like an art piece than a traditional lamp.

However, I am not sure this concept communicates enough about Marble Plastics’ waste stream. Without knowing the material’s story, someone might simply see a colorful plastic light fixture and think, “this is made from plastic.” The lighting does make the material more noticeable, but it does not necessarily communicate where the material came from or why giving these shavings another use matters.

Reference

David, E. (2025, April 27). A conversation with Marcin Rusak: An alchemist of time, material and memory. Yatzer. https://www.yatzer.com/marcin-rusak