Growth
Time of Wood: Where Time Becomes Light is a series of five lamps exploring the traces of time within pine. Each lamp has a different form and scale, sharing the same material language: the tree’s cross-section and naturally formed resin.
The rings, knots, cracks and resin in pine are natural traces of growth and time. Rather than treating them as imperfections, I preserve them as essential parts of each lamp.
Resin forms naturally as the tree responds to external stress and injury, becoming a trace of resilience. By preserving greater thickness around resin-rich areas, light can pass through the material and reveal what is normally hidden within the wood.
The warm light, natural scent and tactile quality of pine create an intimate experience, inviting people to reflect on their own growth, difficulties and the time they have lived through.
The lamps are made without screws or adhesives. Inspired by traditional Korean and Japanese joinery, I reinterpret these techniques to connect the elements through the structure of the wood itself. Natural knots and cracks remain visible, allowing the material and its traces of time to speak for themselves.
Light
Light reveals what is normally hidden within the wood. The resin-rich areas of the pine are intentionally preserved with greater thickness, allowing light to pass through them and create a warm, natural glow. Rather than adding an artificial effect to the material, the light works with what the tree has already created.
Each lamp reveals the resin differently depending on its form, scale and position. The changing density and colour of the wood create subtle variations in light, making every piece unique. The light does not simply illuminate the object; it reveals the traces of growth, stress and time held within it.
The experience is also sensory. The warm glow, the natural scent of pine and its tactile surface create a quiet and intimate atmosphere. Through these simple sensations, the work invites people to slow down and connect the time of the tree with their own experiences of growth, difficulty and change.
The five lamps therefore become different ways of seeing the same material. Each one allows a part of the tree’s hidden history to emerge through light, transforming something deeply embedded in the wood into something seen, felt and connected to our own lives.
Connection
The construction follows the natural character of the wood rather than forcing it into a fixed form. Inspired by traditional Korean and Japanese joinery, I reinterpret wooden connections to create structures that respond to the geometry and tension of the material itself.
No screws are used. Each element is carefully shaped to connect with another, while adhesive is used where necessary to support the construction. The joinery remains visible rather than being hidden, becoming part of the visual language of each lamp.
Natural knots, cracks and variations in the wood are preserved rather than removed. These irregularities influence how each element is shaped and connected, allowing the construction to respond to the material instead of controlling it.
This approach reflects the central idea of Time of Wood. The wood is not corrected, covered or standardised. Its natural traces are accepted as part of the process, allowing the material to show where it has grown, changed and endured.
The five lamps share a common construction language while remaining different in form and scale. Traditional knowledge is combined with a contemporary, minimal approach, respecting pine as it is.
