Unveiling the Mi-480: A Masterpiece of Light and Design

Exploring Raza Zahid's Award-Winning Table Lamp Design

The Mi-480 table lamp is not just a source of light, but a work of art. Zahid's inspiration for the lamp stems from the intricate systems found in nature. He aimed to uncover the underlying principles of these systems that result in complex, efficient, and beautiful structural and material orders. The lamp's design is a transformation of 2D planar geometry into a 3-dimensional space, creating an illusion of organic growth and merging the distinction between silhouette and body.

What sets the Mi-480 apart is its unique skin-like layering. Designed as a decorative light, the lamp creates patterns of transparency, translucency, and opacity. The resulting gradients of light and shade give the outer skin a sense of visual depth that changes depending on the viewing angle. A single light source, located in the center, emphasizes the varied intensities of the layered skin, allowing tiny rays of light to escape through the gaps and lend the lamp a visual warmth.

The creation of the Mi-480 is a testament to the power of technology in design. The complex geometry of the lamp's layered skin required the use of computer modeling, programming, and imaging techniques. Zahid relied heavily on the Grasshopper software to design the varying scales that make up the skin and to study the amount of layering required. The assembly of the lamp is a labor-intensive process, beginning with the construction of the structural skeleton, followed by the addition of numerous scales of varying sizes that lock into it.

The Mi-480 stands at a height of 660 mm with a base diameter of 455 mm. The structural frame is made from clear acrylic of varying thickness, and the scales are 2 mm thick translucent acrylic. When lit, the lamp emits a sense of warmth, fragility, and depth. When switched off, it appears more dense, reflective, and sculptural. The shifting angles of the scales control the amount of visual porosity, making the lamp appear light or heavy, depending on the viewing angle.

The lamp was designed and produced in Lahore, Pakistan, with the design phase in August 2016 and the prototype developed in September 2016. It was exhibited at the Koel Gallery, Karachi, in March 2017, as part of an exhibition titled 'Product'. The design was awarded Silver in A' Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Award in 2018, a testament to its outstanding expertise and innovation.

In conclusion, Raza Zahid's Mi-480 is a shining example of how design can transcend the ordinary. It is not merely a table lamp, but a piece of art that illuminates spaces while captivating the viewer with its intricate design and the play of light and shadow. It stands as a testament to Zahid's ingenuity and his ability to draw inspiration from the world around him.