/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Style

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

By Rebecca Tucker| Photography by Giordano Ciampini
Copy link

If you visited the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last weekend, you might have seen some lights being built from scratch. The team behind Toronto design firm Partisans were at the Interior Design Show to show off Gweilo, their new, innovative, totally-unlike-anything-you’ve-seen-before lamp. It took Alex Josephson and the Partisans team more than four years to perfect Gweilo, which is as much a sculpture at it is a light source. In case you missed it, here’s a play-by-play of how the lamps are made:

First, the Partisans team etches a sheet of acrylic with a tiny grid. This allows light, the source of which will eventually be affixed to the base of the acrylic sheet, to travel upwards and diffuse throughout the sheet, in effect transforming the sheet itself into a lamp:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

Next, the sheet is laid flat and clamped into place:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

It’s then suspended in front of a wall of propane heaters, making it hot and malleable, which gets it ready to be sculpted into shape by the Partisans team:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

Once the acrylic is hot enough to be bendable, it’s removed from its casing (very carefully, and with giant heat-proof gloves):

Advertisement
See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

After the sheet is pulled away from the heat source, the Partisans team makes quick work of moulding it into shape before the acrylic cools and hardens. Here’s Josephson at work on a lamp:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

Josephson says the amount of manipulation that takes place at this point is substantive, but even still, the Partisans team never has complete control over the sheet of acrylic, so no two Gweilo lamps will ever be identical:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

How many people end up handling the sheet after it’s heated depends on the size of the sheet itself:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

After the sheet of acrylic is shaped to the team’s satisfaction, it’s moved to an area with high airflow to cool completely, and harden into its final form:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

A strip of LED lighting is then measured and cut to line up with the straight side of the sheet of acrylic:

Advertisement
See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

Electrician Teddy Shropshire then solders the strip of lights to a power coupling:

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

And bingo: a Gweilo—which retails between $595 and $3,730 at LightForm—is born.

See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp
See how this plain acrylic sheet is transformed into a twisted, one-of-a-kind lamp

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Latest

A gold-medal Olympian dancer is breaking at Scarborough Town Centre this weekend
City News

A gold-medal Olympian dancer is breaking at Scarborough Town Centre this weekend

Inside the Latest Issue

The June issue of Toronto Life features our annual ranking of the best new restaurants. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.