Earth to Sky Lighting Sculptures by Doshi Levien

London design duo Doshi Levien’s lighting debut is an extremely beautiful collection of unique light pieces dubbed Earth To Sky. Entirely self-produced, the group of seven objects is – according to the designers – the result of perseverance and time, of synchronicity, intuition and fortuitous encounters.

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien’s desire to create something truly unique has resulted in not just lamps or light objects, but rather magical sculptures. The duo set out to explore lighting as a sculptural and emotive object, that’s so much more than a functional, utilitarian creation.

“I remember the exact moment the idea arrived,” says Jonathan Levien.

“I was sketching, and exploring the coming together of linearity and geometry, with free form. This balance, this interplay is really a subject close to my heart. I was drawing fine lines next to intuitive, curvaceous, sculptural forms. Nipa picked up the hole-punch, pierced one of the shapes and put a line through it. We then realised we no longer had just a composition, but an actual structure. A very organic sculpture.”

In bringing the ideas of ethereal light sculptures to life, the pair searched for fabricators with exceptional metal-shaping abilities, eventually turning to an unlikely craftsman from the automotive industry who spends his time restoring E-Type and XK1 Jaguars.

The sculptural forms of the shades developed through the process of pattern cutting and forming used to create structural garments. Each individual shape is made of at least two pieces of automotive grade aluminium beaten into shape on a wooden block with a mallet, then seamlessly welded together to form the final form.