Exhibitor’s Stories

Using rice paper to capture the beauty of nature

Rice paper, which was dedicated to writing and painting in many Eastern cultures for centuries, is arguably the most monumental human artefact. Its numerous applications in art cement rice paper’s importance in graphical art. The Airy light shade shows that rice paper, too, is amenable to being crafted into a sculptural product that is both functional and eye-catching. Made of laminated rice paper, the lamp shade is composed of tessellation of interlocking hexagonal and pentagonal panels. As each shade can be assembled to form different ovoid shapes to the user’s liking, no two Airy shades are the same. Light shines through the neutral rice paper and escapes the tiny crevices to offer a mesmerizing pattern. White rice paper serves as an unobtrusive light moderator that can suit a wide variety of décors, styles, and settings. Airy is designed by the team at 24° Studio, a multidisciplinary design practice founded by Fumio Hirakawa and Marina Topunova.