You See a Sheep Ceramic Lighting Collection by Yuko Nishikawa.

Brooklyn-based Japanese designer and contemporary ceramicist, Yuko Nishikawa, specializes in fantastical installations, whimsical lighting and collectible objet d’art. With an Interior and Industrial Design background, Nishikawa handcraft one-of-a-kind lamps, chandeliers, sculptures, vases and tableware.

Nishikawa’s You See a Sheep lighting collection uses hand-made ceramic shells to house the light source and thin metal wire, making the shells appear as though it’s floating in space.  A mysterious yet warm glow is revealed through the holes against the dry paper-like surface. The composition of multiple shells is made specific to each installation site. The arrangement, the colours and the numbers are all determined in line with the layout and the volume of the space the piece occupies.

“The title You See A Sheep is inspired by two stories,” says Nishikawa. “The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where The Prince finds his favourite sheep in a drawing of a box. And Model T Frankenstein by Hideo Furukawa which opens with the line – ‘You see a goat’ suggesting that it is in our perception that the goat exists.”

“I mix paper fibre in a wet clay body to achieve strong lightweight shells, using a coiling technique to emphasize the uneven surface and the irregular enclosed forms,” explains Nishikawa. “Then, once the clay firms up, I cut out the holes. Next, I apply colour clay to the surface and then finally fire them in an electric kiln.”

This 24 ceramic shell chandelier shown here was made for the group exhibition In Good Company held in Fernando Mastrangelo Studio in New York in September 2018. “I saw this exhibition as a celebration of art and design and an opportunity to build a supportive community of the designers and the users”, says Nishikawa. “I designed this chandelier with some shells hanging low to the ground, others floating high, altogether creating a conical volume. It becomes an environment where people can walk through and physically engage with the installation.”

You See A Sheep, Too Fife.

You See A Sheep, Too Six.

[Images courtesy of Yuko Nishikawa and Cooler Gallery. Photography by Nico Schinco.]