Laurids Gallée's resin Cairn lamps make "light feel almost liquid"

As part of the inaugural Design Biennale Rotterdam, local designer Laurids Gallée has unveiled a collection of giant resin lights in collaboration with design gallery Collectional.

The series of six new works, titled Cairn, is formed from large blocks of sculpted resin that were sanded and polished to create a translucent, liquid-like finish.

"The series explores how light interacts with transparent materials," Gallée told Dezeen. "More than shaping resin, I wanted to shape the way the light moves within the material."

"In some of my other light work I play with quickly moving parallel lines, which feels a bit psychedelic, but here, I wanted something calmer, where light feels almost liquid."

Inspired by the ancient tradition of stacking stones, the Austrian-born designer sought to create a sense of balance and weightlessness in these works, defying their sizeable scale.

"With Cairn, I wanted to blur the boundaries between sculpture, design, and art," said Gallée.

The exhibition, presented at the Groot Handelsgebouw building in Rotterdam, features floor-standing, hanging and mounted pieces that radiate warm colours ranging from deep orange, amber and gold to a delicate lilac.

With its largest pieces measuring over six metres and weighing more than one hundred kilograms, the collection brings together a decade of material research from the designer.

"At this scale, structural challenges also come into play," Gallée said. "These pieces are heavy and so we had to engineer how they hold together, especially at the connection points."

“Large surfaces also amplify every detail, so we had to push our techniques to another level."

Gallée collaborated with Dubai-based design gallery Collectional for this new collection, which according to the designer "allowed us to push ideas further."

"It was a close, hands-on collaboration. Collectional is very supportive of my ideas, so they really allowed me to create. We refined the designs, tested materials, and aligned on colours through constant back-and-forth," Gallée said.

Gallée also contributed to Rotterdam's first design biennale as one of its five ambassadorial hosts. He was selected for his ability to "embody the dynamic and innovative spirit of Rotterdam," according to Design Biennale Rotterdam.

"Rotterdam fosters a unique creative energy. Many leading studios in design, architecture, and the arts have set roots here, contributing to an ecosystem of experimentation," said Gallée.

"This freedom to explore beyond the conventional is what ends up making Rotterdam so exciting."

Past exhibitions including Laurids Gallée's work featured on Dezeen include Tableau Gallery at design festival 3 Days of Design last year and Collectible design gallery's Objects with Narratives in 2024.

The photography is by Mathijs Labadie and Pierre Castignola.

Cairn is on show at Groot Handelsgebouw Rotterdam from February 19 to March 2 as part of Design Biennale Rotterdam. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events around the world.

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