Non-Repeating Lamp by Gates Kennemore

Gates Kennemore's lamp, "Coral Reef with Sea Life", has no repeating modules. It is made from 12 very complex pentagonal panels with hand-cut extensions, plus some fish on the inside, projecting shadows, and more fish attached to various coral far out in space. The result is a visually complex and chaotic piece, with an entirely different feeling from the standard organized and regularly repeating patterns of the lamp project.

Conceptually, Gates wanted to create a world where the fish are swimming through a reef, that has an upper half showing delicate branches reaching upward, and also middle and bottom portions with different types of corals. She also made a full-scale paper prototype, then the final piece in Synskin (fiberglass infused with vinyl).

Although no piece repeats exactly, there is the kind of natural repetiton seen in living things such as plants, where there are distinct elements that describe one plant over another. Because of the constantly changing forms, this lamp was difficut to photograph, and is best observed by moving around it in time and space.

If you choose to make a non-repeating lamp, you will also need to demonstrate your understanding of the repetitive modular interlocking patterning concepts of the lamp Project through samples or prototypes. You will also need to work hard on making your work's composition strong because it will not rely on the natural pleasing nature of repitition.

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