“Each sheet of paper is unique. You cannot create two exactly alike, which contributes to making each lamp unique, beautiful, and personal.”
Natalie Dupont
Blue
White
Kozo
ido lamp
the creative process
washi
(wa = Japanese - shi = paper)
Washi paper possesses a resounding and serene beauty as it is the result of nature’s collaboration in a simple sheet. Soetsu Yanagi describes it as;
“The craftsman does not aim to create beauty, but nature assures that it is done.”
The material is brought to life by the hands’ manipulation and transformed into a unique sheet of washi. The clearer nature is in a sheet, the more beautiful it is. It is a pure result of all nature’s elements. Cold, heat, water, and fibers.
Nature creates depth in the material without falsehood. It is as it is, in its pure simplicity and honesty. All washi is beautiful and strengthens one’s relationship with nature and its beauty.
Soetsu Yanagi believes that today’s industrially produced paper destroys the perception of what good paper is. It is created to be used and thrown away. He says, for example, that if you look at old washi, you will not find a single bad sheet, as all the preparation for creating washi has been done.
The object emerges in a symbiotic process between the craftsman and nature, working exclusively within the framework that nature provides. In return, nature gives the craftsman aesthetic completion:
‘There may be some people who are unmoved by it’s beauty, but for those who are drawn to it, a special bond is forged. Showing my most beloved washi to others, I have never failed to impress. Seeing it with their own eyes, they invariably recognize its beauty. Washi begets love and affection. It strengthens one’s feelings of reverence of nature and one’s devotion to beauty.’
Soetsu Yanagi
Founder of Mingei Japanese folk craft movement
about dupont atelier
Every single piece of paper is handmade at Dupont Atelier, and so is every single lamp, thus giving every single object its own unique qualities and individuality.
At Dupont Atelier the craft of paper making is celebrated, and brought into the modern world through the designs, to be appreciated, respected and held. A piece of paper possesses such depth and culture significance and it is truly an honor to be able to keep the craft alive and to share it.
Therefore every lamp is made to order, made with the carefulness of the hand for every order. The process of making a lamp is typically 3 weeks.
Art by Sif Rude
lamps in your space
Are you a hotel, a business, or a store interested in our lamps?