The Noguchi Lamp Isn't Even Actually Called That

Carisha Swanson
Updated
Photo credit: Photo by Yasayuki Ogura. Courtesy of TheNoguchi Museum.
Photo credit: Photo by Yasayuki Ogura. Courtesy of TheNoguchi Museum.

From House Beautiful

Chances are if someone asked you what a Noguchi lamp is, you’d think you had no idea. But the truth is, you have seen these delicate paper lamps hanging from ceilings, tucked away in corners and in many ethereal restaurants during your lifetime-you just never knew what they were actually called.

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Noguchi Museum
Photo credit: Courtesy of The Noguchi Museum

What is a Noguchi lamp?

Their name comes from the famous Japanese-American sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, who in 1951 was traveling through the town of Gifu, Japan. On his journey, he was inspired by the lanterns used by night fisherman out on the Nagara River. This small town was (and still is) known for manufacturing goods out of mulberry bark and bamboo, like paper umbrellas and paper lanterns. Noguchi stayed and learned the traditional Gifu method of paper construction, and eventually created his lamps, which he called Akari, meaning “light”, in Japanese.

“Everything is sculpture…any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.”-Isamu Noguchi • In 1951, Noguchi created his “akari” light sculptures and continued to reinterpret them until his death in 1988. The impact of these “akari” (translated as “light as illumination” in Japanese) transcended the world of art and made a lasting impact on design still seen today. Read more about the history of this ubiquitous art form via the link in our bio and see it in person in @NoguchiMuseum’s phenomenal exhibition “Akari: Sculpture by Other Means,” on view through January 27, 2019. • Image via Artsy’s @TessNatnicha #IsamuNoguchi #Noguchi #Akari #NoguchiMuseum

A post shared by Artsy (@artsy) on Nov 18, 2018 at 3:44pm PST

How are they made?

A true Akari lamp is still made of two very basic elements: a bamboo frame and handmade (washi) paper. The paper is cut into strips, glued to the bamboo framework, and once dried the internal wood form is removed, leaving a resilient lamp that is delicate to look at, but packs flat for shipping (he had this idea way before IKEA even existed). He designed them to be ethereal, light and illuminate a space gracefully-essentially cutting down on the harshness of then popular incandescent bulbs. He eventually designed more than one hundred styles of Akari lamps that still get made today.

Photo credit: ©The Isamu Noguchi Foundation andGarden Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS).
Photo credit: ©The Isamu Noguchi Foundation andGarden Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS).

We are happy to announce that the popular exhibitions ‘Akari: Sculpture by Other Means’ and ‘Akari Unfolded: A Collection by #YMERetMALTA’ will be extended through May 5, 2019. @valeriemaltaverne / @oceanedelain, ‘Belle de Jour’ (2018), and Isamu Noguchi, Akari 24N (designed 1968). - #IsamuNoguchi #イサムノグチ #NoguchiAkari #AkariUnfolded 📷RG @valeriemaltaverne

A post shared by The Noguchi Museum (@noguchimuseum) on Nov 29, 2018 at 9:01am PST

These days, you can still find authentic Akari lamps through museum shops like his eponymous, Noguchi museum, and MoMa. Check out his complete portfolio at Vitra or make plans to visit The Noguchi Museum in New York City for full access to his life's work.

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