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Light Illuminates the Patterns of These Hand-Carved Meerschaum Clay Pendants

12.10.21 | By
Light Illuminates the Patterns of These Hand-Carved Meerschaum Clay Pendants

Feyza Kemahlioglu, founder of New York-based multidisciplinary design studio FEYZ Studio, recently unveiled her latest lighting design, Sunset Drive, at the Wexler Gallery during Design Miami/ 2021. Kemahlioglu looked to her native country of Istanbul’s architectural history and culture, an inspiration that can be seen in Sunset Drive’s materiality.

pendant light

pendant light

In addition to mirrored glass, Meerschaum, a solid clay mineral found and excavated in Eskisehir in central Turkey, is hand-carved by artisans who create flourishes, embellishments, and perforations in the clay. The clay portion of the pendants appear to be a solid whole piece, but upon closer examination, the light shines through and illuminates the floral and graphic patterns. To offset the intricate details, simple forms of sunset-hued mirrored glass cylinders and sandblasted glass globes emit a soft warm glow that further tells the tale behind Kemahlioglu’s design inspiration. She shares: “For my latest piece, I wanted to create a play of light and shadow. I had this picture of driving during the sunset, enjoying the cloud formations, when cars pass by and you see moments of the bright headlights of cars passing by. I wanted to create a collection of pendant lights that are meant to be experienced from different angles and distances.”

pendant light

pendant light

pendant light

pendant light

pendant light

Photos by Galina Kurlat.

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She's probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.