Just because a lamp’s primary purpose is to provide light, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a work of art in its own right. Montreal-based 3D printing store Lézar3D, which collaborated with SlidX on its 3D printed KAYRYS drone earlier this year, recently completed an impressive lighting fixture for a hair salon in Quebec, but it’s so large, it reminds me more of this 3D printed lighted drop ceiling than a lamp.
The concept and design for the massive lighting fixture was the result of a collaboration between the proprietor of Lézar3D, Robert Gagnon, Lézar3D intern Denis Hubencu, and Alain Rouillier, the proprietor of the IL Y A LA COUPE hair salon, located in La Prairie.
The fixture is attached to the ceiling of the hair salon – the original metal frame on the ceiling actually serves as the new lighting fixture’s base. When I say massive, I mean massive – the lighting fixture (really more of a lighting structure) spans five feet in length and eleven feet in width, and is supported by a seven-foot pole. It features LED lights, so it won’t damage or warp the roughly 450 oblique, 3D printed pyramids that make up the fixture.
The fixture is called Dionysus, who, if you’re not up on your mythology, is the ancient Greek god of wine, theatre, and revelry, also known by the Roman name Bacchus. The Dionysus lighting structure was 3D printed using 5th generation MakerBot printers and PLA plastic. Rouillier consulted with Gagnon and Hubencu to create the custom solution, in order to fit more existing metal frames into the salon.
The fixture glows with soft light, and looks like a giant piece of origami art. Like several 3D printed medical instruments, robots, and self-folding structures, it was indeed inspired by the ancient paper folding art, which creates pointed, angular designs. The pyramids that make up the Dionysus fixture have intricate points at each edge, and while a large amount of the pyramids have repeated designs, particularly around the center of the lighting fixture, there are many unique pyramids featured around the shorter edges.
Hubencu, who at the time was a Lézar3D intern, refined the original design concept, and also formed the 3D model for every single pyramid, and Lézar3D took care of 3D printing all of the pyramids and other pieces used to create the Dionysus.
From start to finish, the entire Dionysus lighting fixture project took over three months. Most of this time was spent on 3D printing the hundreds of pyramids: each one of the over 450 oblique structures took between four and twelve hours to print. The structure is now completely set up in the hair salon, so if you happen to be in Quebec and need a hair cut, visit IL YA A LA COUPE to see the Dionysus lighting fixture in all its giant, glowing glory.
To learn more about the process of making the fixture, check out Lézar3D’s video below:
