Matte Berit Nyberg recently completed thesis work at Pratt Institute and one of my favorite pieces that she designed is this candelabra on a string. Basically, it’s a series of votive candle holders but they’re connected with a simple string so that they’re easily wrangled, displayed, and managed on your table top.
She was inspired by Danish culture and how candles are essential to their lifestyle during the long, dark winters. And while this may look like a very simple design, there is a lot behind it. Below, Matte explains more about the thought behind this design:
Danish social culture is still also heavily influenced by the Jante Law that list 10 rules about how a person should conduct themselves. Many of these statements surround the thought of equality, stating that no one is better or more important than anyone else. I started with drawing circular forms as a 2d representation of equality. A circle has no top or bottom; it is interconnected, equal around its circumference and works perfectly as a symbol for a society that believes so deeply in the Jante Law. The wooden cups are strung on to a rope like beads and then the rope is knotted under each cup inside a small hole. The knot references the joining together and the strong hold within a community. Each of these cups in themselves were symbols of equality but I choose to link them together in a flexible way to emphasize that each individual although equal to everyone else still moves flexibly in their tight-knit society.