Experimentation Becomes Illumination with the Echo 1 Table Lamp

James Cherry‘s Echo 1 Table Lamp exists because he wanted to see how far he could push a material from its original nature, according to the artist-designer. As James puts it, “I don’t make objects thinking about those things. I don’t really think that’s up to me and it’s definitely not a driving force in my creative process.” The New York and Los Angeles-based artist works primarily in lighting and sculpture, transforming found elements into what he calls “viscerally intimate objects.”

His Echo 1 Table Lamp emerged from his studio four years ago as a material experiment. “My work is born out of play,” James says. “I like pushing materials to new possibilities by experimenting and seeing how far away I can get a material to bend from its original nature.” He developed what he calls “makeshift fiberglass,” a hybrid substance created by saturating recycled fabric with resin, then shaping and curing it entirely by hand. The technique calls to mind designers like Gaetano Pesce, whose 1987 I Feltri Armchair also used felt soaked in resin or his chairs for Bottega Veneta, where cotton canvas dipped in colored resins created swirled, marble-like effects. It also echoes Max Bill’s iconic Ball lamp for Temde from the 1960s.

Each lamp takes roughly two weeks of labor-intensive work, which explains the $2,100 price point. Every structural and sculptural component is handmade, with only the electrical wiring using standard safety-rated parts. No two lamps are exactly alike. The handmade process ensures subtle variations in texture, form, and finish.

Despite looking dense and substantial, the layered fabric construction keeps it relatively light. The lamp casts a warm glow, the kind that softens corners and creates pockets of light in a room.

The Echo 1 Table Lamp can be purchased directly through his studio at jamescherrystudio.com