Tom Dixon, Early Pair of Kinetic Gold Leaf Spiral Floor Lamps, UK 1988

Tom Dixon (b. 1959)

An early pair of highly spirited spiral floor lamps by autodidact designer Tom Dixon OBE, in spun steel covered in hand-applied gold leaf. Undulating coils rising out of gilt domed bases that each hold a hidden bulb, these interactive, sculptural works are intentionally pliable, designed to glimmer and, if desired, quiver, projecting helix-like shadows that sway and dance on the ceiling.

“I got interested in making lights active rather than static,” Dixon said of this pivotal work. “It’s hard to pass this lamp without smacking it to make the light dance. This was my first real lamp and sparked an enduring passion for lighting objects.”

Inspired by the kinetic sculpture and shadow-play of artists like Alexander Calder, Jean Tinguely, and Ruth Asawa, this raw and buoyant piece is animated by Dixon’s ongoing focus on materiality, manufacturing, and form. At the nexus of his early experiments welding found objects into salvage furniture and a new preoccupation with innovative, but more polished, liquid forms, these bold disco confetti lamps mark Dixon’s transition from craftsman to designer —yet still bear the hand-hewn immediacy and delight of youth.

Measurements: 59″ H × 19″ Ø.

Rewired for use in the US.