Plastic bottles woven with wicker forming lamps? Yes! Designer Alvaro Catalan de Ocon has created in collaboration with SiStudio Chimbarongo, a range of wicker lamp shades woven with old plastic bottles by artisans in central Chile for his PET Lamps project inspired by traditional Japanese stirrers made from bamboo. He taught the local Chilian artisans in Chimbarongo to take reused plastic bottles that were adapted by chopping off the bottoms, then cutting the sides into thin strips up to the neck. These strips are then woven with the wicker to form the lamp shades, mixing the coloured plastic with natural fibres to create patterns.
The Chimbarongo range has a loose weave and some feature two or three woven tiers, using the wicker in its natural hue. The lamps are eco-friendly and weightless and their design is strong and structural.
The lights are available as sets, which can be strung up together from a single source, or as individual lamps.
