Light object, awarded

An award that makes you proud

When a lighting object is awarded a prestigious prize at the very beginning of its career, it is a special honor. The German Design Award stands for outstanding design quality and international recognition – an award that not only brings prestige, but also increases visibility in the design world.

I am delighted that my lighting object LIGHT\TRACE No. 2 has won the German Design Award 2017. The jury explained its decision as follows:

“With its organic shape and fine fabric structure, the fascinating light object looks like a structure from nature.”

The origin story – inspiration and innovation

The inspiration for LIGHT\TRACE No. 2 came from the materiality itself. I often work with innovative materials and found a fascinating medium in fiberglass fabric: soft, shiny and with a unique structure. My aim was to integrate fibre optics into the fabric to create a lively lighting effect.

By intuitively weaving the fine fibre optics into the fabric, which is over three meters long, a magical play of light was created. The lines of light seem to wind organically around the body – an effect that creates an almost shimmering appearance thanks to the inhomogeneous light emission. The perception changes with every change of perspective – an object full of dynamism and movement.

The greatest challenge lay in the substructure: to stabilize the desired shape, round rods were precisely welded, painted and then wrapped in the fabric by hand with a filament yarn – an elaborate and contemplative process.

A moving moment – dancing under the light object

The first public presentation of LIGHT\TRACE No. 2 took place in Milan in 2016 at the exhibition “Back Ahead – New Austrian Design Perspectives” during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile. An unforgettable moment was when a little girl spontaneously danced under the object – gently, fluidly, as if interacting with the light.

An organic light object that enchants

Although LIGHT\TRACE No. 2 is an expansive object, it creates a subtle, atmospheric lighting mood. It combines aesthetic lightness with technical sophistication and shows how light and material merge in perfect harmony.

The jury of the German Design Award knew nothing of the magical moment in Milan – but the award confirms the exceptional design quality of my lighting object. I am proud and grateful for this recognition!