Lighting.

Basically, I am obsessed with playing with the forms of light and shadows.
The problem is.. the more experimental a light can be the more material and electricity it involves.
In this day and age, that gets us no where.
Anthropologie (a ...fairly expensive clothing store) happens to give a creative alternative to most lighting methods.

 They utilize news paper like the above lamp.

 Spoons and forks!

And somehow get away with simple lightbulbs alone.

The thing is, regardless of their ecological methods..the prices range from $300 to $4,000 depending on designer.
Anthropologie's market consists of a mass of very devoted shoppers, who are willing to pay for their pricey vintage creations....but the store exists as more of an inspiration for me.

Some of the less recyclable materials out there happen to be

 

Styrofoam and plastic bags. 

I've seriously never seen an acceptable way to reuse these things...

So there's this whole concept of UP-Cycling, which is basically reusing materials towards new useful product. You're not technically going back to the materials original elements, but you're not wasting NEW materials for the sake of your new item.

The problem is....I have no idea how plastic bags could hold up against the heat of a bulb, or how I can mess with the opacity of styrofoam to properly showcase a beam of light.

That's what experimentation is for...but styrofoam is such a hassle to work with.

• Styrofoam crumbles more than a coffee cake, it's honestly the most frustrating substance
• Buying solid blocks of Stryofoam to reshape would be counter productive....because then I'm not reusing materials...
• This is more personal but when this stuff squeaks together, I want to cry.

But there has to be a way to make these look more attractive. I mean, if Anthropologie can sell a a chain of spoons for $4,000 (Seriously, Look for yourself.... ) , I can make a pretty shade out of plastic bags and styrofoam.