Distant Lights


Born in Jyvaskyla, Finland, and currently based in Amsterdam, Tuomas Markunpoika studied furniture design at the Lahti Institute of Design and received his MA in Contextual Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven. His work endeavours to elevate the functionality of everyday objects through the introduction of mystery and wonder. Working with various materials, his projects range from industrial design to limited editions and one-off pieces for galleries and private clients.

On a research trip to Japan, Markunpoika was intrigued by wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy and aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience and impermanence. One manifestation of the wabi-sabi tradition is the Japanese rock garden, which mimics water diffraction patterns. Commonly used for meditation, the gardens allow the meditator to concentrate on a fixed point within its layout. This worldview inspired the work Distant Lights, a series of lamps whose lenses bend light to replicate karesansui wave patterns. Small changes in one’s viewing position alter the perception of the light projection.

Special thanks to Valentin Bouriaud.