BASF Lamp Commission
Commissioned by BASF, Precious Plastic Monash had the opportunity to showcase three lamp installations in collaboration with Monash Automation at the EXA – Energy Exchange Australia Perth Conference. These lamps were inspired by native Australian fauna and flora and created using recycled PLA and LDPE, showcasing the possibilities for transforming waste plastic into viable products.
Cycad Lamp
Cycad Lamp
The Cycad lamp was inspired by the geometric repeating forms found in the Cycad fruit. There are many species of Cycad native to Australia, with some having a significance to First Nations cultures as a food source. The lamp was constructed using over 25kg of recycled PLA filament and stands at 2m tall.
Kangaroo Paw Lamp
Kangaroo Paw Lamp
The Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) is a plant native to Southern and Western parts of Australia, and inspired the Kangaroo Paw lamp. The leaves are crafted from LDPE soft plastic bags collected from various waste streams around Monash University and externally. The plastic was layered and pressed into sheets which could then be cut and sewn together to form leaves. Each hand-sewn leaf consists of dozens of layers of plastic, with the entire lamp using approximately 200 square metres of LDPE. The stem of the lamp is made from recycled PLA, which was 3D-printed, sanded and painted in tribute to the plant.
Coral Lamp
Coral Lamp
The Coral lamp was inspired by the Chalice Coral (Echinophyllia) common across many Australia reefs. The lamp used over 15kg of 3D printed waste PLA sourced from 3D printing labs across Monash University. Sorted, shredded and then pressed into sheets, the recycled PLA sheets were laser cut to mimic the unique shape of the Chalice coral and assembled using aluminium rods and 3D printed supports.
