Q&A – Lana Launay

Having taken her hand and eye to visual arts, jewellery making and textile design, lighting designer and artist Lana Launay has attracted a keen following for her shapely and artful pieces. Her tactile modular lamps allow for personal bespoke customisation at home, with her work seeing her flit between Sydney and Los Angeles for residential and commercial projects, as well as exhibitions.

TLP: Can you describe your approach to lighting design and how it has evolved?

LL: I approach it as an object or sculptural piece first and then consider the illumination element. I started with bespoke lampshades and pendants, then began to explore larger-scale sculptural designs. I want to create an illuminated character that offers a comforting presence in a room, like a permanent guest rather than a piece of furniture.

TLP: Guide us through your creative process. Do you do a lot of research or is your method more instinctive?

LL: It’s certainly more instinctive. I design lighting for myself first, what I want to own or what I want to experiment with – I’ve found my best and most authentic work evolves from this intention. The vision is clear in my mind and then I build a prototype to experiment with the shape, functionality and stability. I will research the market to ensure the final concept doesn’t already exist. Influences can be so passive and non-conscious, so I think it’s important to check and challenge one’s own authenticity and execution.

I want to create an illuminated character that offers a comforting presence in a room, like a permanent guest rather than a piece of furniture.

TLP: Materiality is an integral part and consideration of lighting design. What informs your material choice and the scope to explore this further?

LL: When I started, I aimed to only use hard materials that were recyclable and soft textiles that are naturally formed or could biodegrade in the distant future. I consider this intention in every new design. I prefer to use papers and washi over most fabrics because I find the glow more consistent, but the fibres are more unique. The blessing and curse of using paper is the fragility. It offers a delicate beauty but is not as durable. I seal most of my paper lights and have been trialling beeswax, which offers a similar finish to fibreglass but remains a natural alternative.

TLP: Your modular lamps embrace different configurations to your work. Why did you want to introduce this element of modularity to your product offering?

LL: I’m someone who craves a change of scenery and I often shift furniture and objects around my home. It keeps life interesting, but when this kind of desire is applied to aesthetics or possessions, it can feed impulsive purchasing or trend-based consumption, which I see a lot in the market. I wanted to build a lamp that delivers a beacon of possibilities and that symbolises the enduring prospect for constant change and freshness. I’m also amused by the interaction it forms between a human and their lamp, to play with the form based on mood or atmosphere or even out of boredom.

I prefer to use papers and washi over most fabrics because I find the glow more consistent, but the fibres are more unique.

TLP: What does a typical day look like for you?

LL: It starts with either hot yoga or emails in bed with coffee, depending on what my body wants. I prefer to get on top of communication early so I can focus the rest of the day on making. I am currently without my own studio, so I work on textile application or finishes between a small study, the dining room and the terrace. I usually break up the day with a swim. I’ll continue until quite late in the evening but will always wind down with my husband.

TLP: Where do you find inspiration? Which artists, designers or creatives inspire you?

LL: Aesthetically, I’m mostly inspired by brutalist sculpture and futuristic architecture or sci-fi set design. I admire the ‘What if…’ approach to design that you find in futuristic design and I love the raw freedom and expression you see in brutalist sculpture and art. A few contemporary artists and sculptors I admire are Simone Leigh, Minjae Kim and Alma Allen. I first saw Simone Leigh’s work in 2018 at the Guggenheim. I was blown away by her seemingly flawless execution through bronze, ceramics and wax casts that all featured cultural references with textiles. I am drawn to Minjae Kim’s work through his playfulness. I find imperfect details a special quality in all forms, and his work completely harnesses that ideal – it’s free and optimistic. My mum introduced me to Alma Allen’s work and we were both drawn to his use of salvaged materials in his early work. It was a great reminder that you can create beauty and yield new life by being resourceful and open to aged materials.

I admire the ‘What if…’ approach to design that you find in futuristic design and I love the raw freedom and expression you see in brutalist sculpture and art.

TLP: Your work takes you between Sydney and Los Angeles. What do you love about each city?

LL: I grew up with my mother in Sydney and my father in Los Angeles, so each city feels like home to me. My father lives in the Hollywood Dell near Beachwood Canyon. I would walk dusty tree-lined tracks between his place and Los Feliz, passing Spanish Colonial architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House and up to the Griffith Observatory. We would drive past John Lautner’s Garcia House, his Chemosphere, along Mulholland Drive into Topanga Canyon where most architecture is designed around its natural surroundings. It’s easy to miss most Topanga houses because they are hidden in the trees. We would end up at Malibu where there is the most unusual wooden pyramid house on the beach. I think about it all the time. Los Angeles has more inspiring historical architecture that never ceases to fascinate me, but both cities offer a bridging relationship between the metropolis and the natural world that I am drawn to.

TLP: What’s next in the pipeline for you?

LL: I will be heading back to Los Angeles to build up some sculptural lighting and to work with US-based bespoke clients. I will also be releasing some new table lamps in the following months. Hopefully I can squeeze in an exhibition somewhere, too!