The Process
We use the finest artist papers available, made from cloth pulp to ensure durability. The paper is sealed with a proprietary flame-retardant and stain-resistant coating, silkscreened by hand to achieve a perfectly smooth, satin finish. Then it's off to the press: a traditional windmill press equipped with our custom wood block dies. As the paper is fed through the press, the dies stamp out a series of flat shapes that together create the pattern for each Tesselight. The flat pieces then go to the worktable, where they are folded, curled and sewn by hand into a series of triangular tiles. The tiles are joined to create a spherical shape so strong that it supports itself, no inner frame necessary.
We've refined our production process to be socially and environmentally responsible while still providing our customers with high quality products at a great value. Production of 50 fixtures yields an average of just 1 cubic foot of waste material, and our packing materials are not only recyclable but made from recycled materials. We work exclusively with skilled craftsmen local to the Boston area to streamline production; and 100% of our materials are sourced from American vendors, most within 1000 miles of our production facility. We're proud to be even a small contributor to the return of manufacturing to the American economy.
The Team
Christine Price Hamilton- Artist, Architectural Designer and Tesselight Creator
Christine started developing the first Tesselight designs in 2007, inspired by a strong interest in geometry and the unique pliable and translucent properties of paper. In 2011, she joined the Fringe Union collaborative and, with the help of her fellow studio mates' expertise, took Tesselight from a prototype to the mass market. Christine now divides her time between freelance architectural design and developing new products to add to the Tesselight series.
Mike Dacey- Artist, Designer, Owner of Repeat Press
www.repeatpress.com
James Weinberg- Designer and Screenprinter Extraordinaire
www.weinbergdesign.com
Alicia Durfey- Quirky Illustrator and Tesselight Fabricator
www.alidurfey.com
Monica Hargrove- Graphic Designer and Branding Consultant
www.mothdesign.net
Aaron Panone- Industrial Designer, Engineering Guru and Co-Creator of Cuppow
www.44rn.com, www.cuppow.com
Tesselight is a proud member of the Fringe Union collaborative, a 7500 sq ft coworking space housed in a converted warehouse tucked behind Union Square in Somerville, MA. Fringe is home to 15 small creative businesses offering a wide array of services. Though each business operates independently, we utilize an open work environment to facilitate collaboration and share our expertise, helping all our businesses to further grow and thrive. Learn more about Fringe here.