love letter light sculptures

love letter light sculptures love letter light sculptures love letters are playful “light sculptures” onto which you can pen thoughts of personal sentiment. Created by Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen of molo, love letter light sculptures have as their source of light a specially produced thin, two-sided electroluminescent film which glows softly within a simple vellum envelope. You can open the envelope to write a message on the film with a dry erase marker, or if you are feeling more committal you may pen your sentiments with something more permanent… Thin items and treasures can be placed in the envelope to personalize your love letter, sheets of coloured paper, a leaf, a feather, a lock of hair ... the softly glowing envelope will illuminate the detail of these delicately beautiful everyday things. The love letter lights have luminosity similar to candle light. Each love letter light is sold individually and is available with a base formed either of “felt rocks” or white Italian marble. In either case, the luminous letter perches on a thin steel wire that springs from the ballast of the base. The letter can slide to different positions along the wire animating the personality of the light sculpture. love letter began with the idea of expressing thanks and admiration to Ingo Maurer and the Castiglioni brothers for the ingenuity and emotion of the designs they have brought into the world. On a visit to FLOS in Italy, Stephanie and Todd toured the marble workshops where the base is made for the legendary Arco lamp designed in 1962 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. In making the marble base for the Arco, a cylindrical core is carved from the stone to make a hole for lifting the heavy lamp, and these very cores from the Arco lamp now form the base of one version of the love letter light sculptures (which we like to refer to as “love letter to the Castiglioni brothers”). 1 The felt rocks, which form the base of the other version of love letter, also have an interesting origin. felt rocks are solid pieces of high density 100% pure wool felt. They are a wonderful “discovered invention”. In their raw form, they are simply lumps of felt formed as a by-product in the industrial process of making felt polishing wheels for optical lenses. Small bits of wool fluff gather more and more felt fiber, growing like snowballs, as they tumble around in a big drum with the polishing wheels. Each wool fiber is a tiny hollow tube with burred sides. In the felting process, with steam and pressure, these little hollow tubes become entangled with each other forming a strong bond without any glues or binders. Like rocks formed by the tumbling action of a river, each piece takes on a completely unique and satisfying shape. Each piece is selected, hand cleaned and dyed to form the final product—felt rocks—a wonderful tactile and sculptural curiosity. In addition to their unique electroluminescent film, and bases, love letter light sculptures have a further point of intrigue. Part of the electronics of the light sculptures has been left exposed and then given a thin white protective coating. We found the resulting mini metropolis too captivating to hide away in a black box, instead the electronic cityscape is complete with tiny actors, each playing out a unique love story. Please enjoy your love letter light sculpture. 2 your love letter light sculpture includes one of the following bases or marble base felt rock base your love letter includes each of the following parts electroluminescent (EL) film in vellum envelope* clip power adaptor dry-erase marker inverter steel rod** * two spare vellum envelopes included ** do not remove protective plastic end cover 3 love letter assembly overview Gently unwrap all parts and follow the steps on the succeeding pages to assemble your love letter light sculpture. 4 step 1: writing your love letter Gently slide the EL film from the envelope. Write your love letter with the provided dry-erase pen on the EL film and insert the film back into the envelope. To leave a new note wipe the EL film with a dry soft cloth. Please handle this unit carefully as the attached wires and envelope are delicate. 5 step 2: attaching the clip Carefully attach the clip to the EL film and envelope, taking care to ensure the clip is securely positioned between and above the two wires (see detail above). 6 step 3: inserting the steel rod Insert the steel rod through the circular hole in the clip as shown. Ensure that the protective plastic wrapped end of the piano wire faces upward. 7 The lower arm of the clip has a notch at the back to brace against the rod as shown. 8 step 4 (felt rock base): placing light assembly into base 1" Wind the electrical cord around the steel rod and insert the rod into the base. Balance the second rock against the main rock supporting the sculpture in such a way that the overall base is stable. 9 step 4 (marble base): placing light assembly into base ½" Wind the electrical cord around the steel rod and insert the rod into the base. 10 step 5 (marble base): repositioning the love letter on the steel rod Repositioning your love letter along the steel rod gives it a different personality or posture. To adjust the position of the letter, secure the steel rod with one hand and slide the clip with the attached letter and envelope with your free hand. Holding the steel rod during this step will ensure the light does not tip over. 11 Slide the clip with attached letter along the steel rod until it finds a satisfying point of balance. 12 step 5 (felt rock base): repositioning the love letter on the steel rod Repositioning your love letter along the steel rod gives it a different personality or posture. To adjust the position of the letter, secure the felt rock base with one hand and slide the clip with the attached letter and envelope with your free hand. Slide the clip with the letter along the steel rod until it finds a satisfying point of balance. 13 The further you move the clip from the base, the more the rod will bend and you will need to rebalance the sculpture by adjusting the rocks of the base. 14 step 6: connecting electrical components Insert the plug coming from the EL film into the matching receiver on the inverter. Insert the power adaptor into the inverter. Plug the adaptor into a standard power outlet. The on/off switch is located on the inverter. 15 enjoy! 16 love letter to the castiglioni brothers 17 sentiments of love 18 sculpting interior landscapes 19 new years resolutions 20 love letter: safe usage and care The love letter EL film and inverter are low voltage (DC 12v), and thus the exposed electrical components are not dangerous to handle—however, do not use the unit if any of the electrical components appear to be damaged in any way. Do not allow any of the electrical components to get wet, and do not attempt to repair or alter any electrical components. love letter comes with a power adaptor that accommodates input of AC120v for North America, or an AC100-240v adaptor for all other regions. The supplied plug shape is “type A” (American 2-pin) and a local plug shape adaptor (not included) may be required if your wall sockets do not accept this plug shape. The EL film provides ambient lighting only—it is not intended to be task lighting. The light produced by the film will be barely noticeable in bright daylight, but will produce a soft glow as overall lighting levels dim. The EL film has an estimated life expectancy of 5000 hours. Contact us for information on replacement films at info@molodesign.com. The use of the dry erase marker allows the message to be wiped cleanly off the film, using a dry soft cloth. The wires attached to the EL film are delicate— please handle with care. The piano wire, on which the EL film is suspended, comes with a plastic tip that is designed to avoid an accidental eye injury. Do not remove this plastic tip. 21 available types + sizes product love letter light sculpture description tall 36"(90cm) with 2 wool felt rocks for base ships in box 36"(91cm) x 8"(20cm) x 6"(15cm) weight: 4 lbs(1.8kg) product code LLL-F2 love letter to the Castiglioni brothers 18"(45cm) with white marble core base ships in box 12"(30cm) x 16"(41cm) x 4"(10cm) weight: 5 lbs(2.3kg) LLL-M1 22 molo design, ltd. 1470 Venables Street Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5L 2G7 t +1 604 696 2501 f +1 604 685 0342 info@molodesign.com www.molodesign.com V2