Janine de Bruin
From: Cape Town
Object title: The ‘X’ chandelier
Tell us a bit more about your “LIVING ROOM OBJECT”. What inspired you?
We found these pretty little white plastic crosses on our building site rubble a few years ago when we renovated our house. They seemed out of place as they were quite delicate. I was curious to find out what they were and was surprised when I discovered they were tile spacers. When we were given the brief to create a beautiful upcycled object from waste, I remembered these and wanted to use them in some way. I thought an ‘X’ shaped chandelier light would show the qualities of the spacers off the best, and wanted it to be stylish, quirky and quite simple in design.
If you had to match a song to your object, what would it be and why?
Frank Sinatra’s “Fly me to the moon” because I imagine the spacer strands of the chandelier twinkling like stars in the light, and that it would have a ‘flighty’ feel. The first few lines of the lyrics are:
‘Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars’
What challenges have you experienced by adhering to the competition principles of using sustainable design techniques?
It was challenging to ensure that all the components of the design could be found as offcuts or waste of some kind and also to ensure that no additional waste was created in making the light. I worked through different ideas before deciding on the light, because I wanted to find a design that I believed could be made cost effectively. Every aspect of the design had to be considered.
What does sustainable design mean to you?
To me sustainable design means finding a way to create beautiful objects and spaces, trying to re-use what we have in a different way, and also what we can find that would otherwise be adding to landfills. It means designing in such a way that we don’t take away more resources from the Earth, but rather make new objects out of what we no longer consider useful or beautiful.
I can’t start my day without…
A hot cup of tea
You are currently obsessed with?
Patterns and geometry in nature, and locally designed jewellery
3 things we don’t know about you…
My favourite way to wind down is to read a magazine in bed.
I like to eat sweets when I work.
I love airports, everyone is going somewhere and excitement is in the air.
What’s on your horizon?
Hopefully designing beautiful spaces and objects in the future.
What is your most treasured piece in your home?
My photographs of my loved ones.
Top tip when it comes to sustainable design…
Look at the world through a child’s eyes. See possibility everywhere.
The Remake Design Challenge is proudly brought to you by Pick n Pay.
