Like so many creative business owners, 2020 has ushered in an opportunity to look both inward and outward to re-rethink how we, as a small, but impassioned studio can contribute towards greater social impact - to be part of building a brighter, more evolved future.
It's been a year of reckoning and realization that we can all do more for our neighbors, community, society, and the environment. It's become clear that by shifting our focus to care for others and things outside of our bubbles, we'll intrinsically begin to do better for ourselves.
In this spirit, L&G spent the past 6 months getting involved volunteering, fundraising, donating, and doing pro-bono design work for local non-profit organizations (see list below). All were deeply rewarding and only the beginning of what will be a regular part of our studio's evolving practice.
These experiences have also prompted a deeper introspection upon the implications of the objects we create. If objects are the facilitators between our intentions and actions - we must increasingly ensure that our intentions are thoughtfully and holistically eliciting greater presence and care for the physical world. Above all, we're committed to earnestly diving deeper into this idea as a means to deploy design as a catalyst for change.
We believe this design effort should start with the basic and elemental of what we know and practice - beginning with the idea of light. To start, we've focused on one of the most elemental of human-made illuminations: the flame. While mundane and familiar, the candle occupies a special place in the human psyche and we set out to better understand why and how its qualities can create engaging spatial experiences while celebrating elemental properties and forms.
We began with a reexamination of the humble flame's inherent qualities - gaining new appreciation for its warm visual temperature, dynamic movement, and dramatic castings of glow and shadow on its surroundings. Inspired by the principles of Moholy-Nagy's "Light Modulators" we conceived of an intersecting composition of perforated and polished metal shapes which house a simple candle. The assembly's surfaces reflect, refract, and obscure the subtly flickering candlelight to create a complex interplay of highlights and shadows which cast onto nearby architecture to create a rich, dynamic spatial experience.
Produced as a limited edition series, Lightscape Candle Holder is offered by L&G directly with 50% of proceeds donated to Soul Fire Farm, an organization committed to addressing the generational racism embedded in US agricultural practices. Their mission aligns with L&G’s belief that the world can be made better through an elemental engagement with the physical world. Like a flame, food represents hope and vitality simply and honestly - representing a beacon of light for a more connected way of living.
Photos by Charlie Schuck
As seen in recent features in: NYT / Sight Unseen / Design Milk
LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS L&G HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH:
Learn more & support these wonderful organizations.
Courtesy of Vogue
Food Justice
SOUL FIRE FARM
Soul Fire Farm is a BIPOC*-centered community farm committed to ending racism and injustice in the food system. We feel deeply aligned with their mission of empowering one another by gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of the world through physical engagement and community.
LEARN MORE HERE AND SUPPORT
Courtesy of Design Advocates
Safe Shelters
DESIGN ADVOCATES
Design Advocates is a platform for architects and designers to share resources and collaborate on efforts to serve the public good through pro-bono projects, research, and advocacy. L&G Studio teamed up with NY-based architects to design a framework for homeless shelters to offer a safe and welcoming space for the community.
SEE PROJECT HERE
Courtesy of Heart of Dinner
Food Access
HEART OF DINNER
Since Covid, this grass-roots organization has been providing weekly meals to thousands of Asian elders throughout Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens who have been suffering from food isolation, Covid health risks, and xenophobic racial threats. L&G has been helping deliver meals and handwritten notes. As the winter season approaches, they need even more support.
LEARN MORE HERE & SUPPORT
Voting Rights
FLORIDA RIGHTS RESTORATION COALITION
Back in October, we participated in a collective fundraising effort to #freethevote for Floridians, which raised $731,372 to help pay the fees for formerly convicted citizens to regain their rights to vote after serving their time. You can continue to support the end of this discrimination and promote a more regenerative prison reentry system.
LEARN MORE HERE AND SUPPORT
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, Do better."
-Maya Angelou