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molo’s Transformable urchin softlight

We’ve long been obsessed with the visually enticing, flexible textiles of Vancouver-based molo and just this past May at ICFF, we spotted their urchin softlight. They’re completely mesmerizing when you interact with them, as witnessed in our little video clip below.

The white, flexible material, which is the same honeycomb textile used for some of their previous pieces, expands into sculptural shapes that mimic the silhouette of a sea urchin, hence its name. The durable material is tear- and water-resistant while still giving off a delicate appearance that emits a soft glow of light.

Once the shade has been formed into a circular shape, rare earth magnets hidden in the seam connect the two ends together.

The asymmetrical design allows for two different forms to be created depending on which way you stretch it. A cone shape is formed when you flip the flat side out, while the rounded, more traditional shape forms with the curved side up.

The urchin softlight will be included in the “Art and Design, Dialogue with Materials” exhibition that’s on display at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design from November 16th, 2017 to January 8th, 2018.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.