Material Mutation
UTTU is an ongoing lighting project that studies how materials can transform an inanimate object. Inspired by Uttu, the Mesopotamian goddess of weaving, each version of the project changes in material, scale and form.
The previous UTTU was a smaller ceramic lighting collection. For Uttu’s Death, the ceramic body has been replaced by metal and metal mesh and enlarged into a two-metre-tall structure. This change in scale transforms the work from a familiar lighting object into something closer to a body or presence that shares the space with the viewer.
The project treats these changes as mutations. Uttu’s Death marks the end of the ceramic version of UTTU and the beginning of a new material body. By transforming the same project through different materials and scales, UTTU explores how an object can change over time while still carrying traces of what it was before.
