The Riven Box Lamp reflects Romeo Mignot Hodges' ongoing fascination with material transformation and the translation of one substance into another. Cast in bronze from a split timber form, the base faithfully preserves the grain, fractures and irregularities of the original wood, creating a subtle trompe-l'œil in which a material traditionally associated with permanence appears unexpectedly organic and familiar.
Rising from this weighty foundation, a slender patinated bronze stem supports a delicate framework wrapped in translucent Japanese mulberry paper, finished with a wax and rosin blend. When illuminated, the shade emits a warm, atmospheric glow that contrasts with the solidity of the cast bronze below.
The work is defined by a careful balance of opposites: heaviness and lightness, permanence and fragility, industrial process and natural form. By translating the ephemeral qualities of wood into enduring bronze, Mignot Hodges invites viewers to reconsider the physical and symbolic qualities of materials and the ways in which they carry memory, history and transformation.
Part of an ongoing series investigating casting, replication and material translation, the Riven Box Lamp occupies a space between sculpture, design object and functional lighting.