Born From Nature
Our concepts are born before pen touches paper, by interpreting nature into abstract, tangible lighting sculptures. Each narrative is explored using sketches, line drawings, watercolour paintings and little mock-ups, but what happens before this part and where do our ideas come from?
Rock & Soar is inspired by nature. Our journey often derives from a walk in the park where we may observe a butterfly, pick up a flower, leaf or even a pine cone, and pause to simply admire its beauty. It is the act of ‘noticing’ that allows us to truly observe what is in front of us and to spend time, slowing down, to really understand the form, detail, texture and colour of the beautiful things we see.
We are interested not only in objects in nature, but also key moments in time or chemical reactions. This could be a change of state in water from its most fluid state to fractured ice, to stormy skies that are mostly associated with miserable weather, however can contain an array of extraordinary colours, contrast in light and evoke powerful emotions that we aim to capture in our sculptures. We find the beauty in all of nature's creations.
Often used in meditation, the act of ‘noticing’ allows for the awareness of your breath as well as your physical and emotional responses. Being able to spend time on how you feel is an act of mindfulness and wellbeing which is an aspect that is taken into our creative practice when experiencing nature and our surroundings. When we notice and observe a particular flower or seedling we are not looking at the bigger picture, but rather understanding a number of factors which make up the object in front of us:
FORM - What is its overall shape, why is it shaped like this?
PURPOSE - What is its purpose in nature?
COLOUR - What colour is it and why? Are there many colours and how do these work together e.g. gradients, speckled, full or part areas in particular colours?
TEXTURE - How does it feel? Why does it have this texture?
LINE - What do the overall outer lines look like? What do the detailed lines look like? Is there a pattern emerging?
LIGHT - What is the light doing in relation to the object? Does it absorb, reflect, scatter the light?
EMOTION - How does the object make you feel? How does the atmosphere make you feel?
By breaking down what we see into key elements, we use these to re-design nature into abstract sketches and watercolour formations that are prominent in nature’s design. This can make things easier when choosing a particular material to work with that shares the same qualities of the object in question. For example, colours and textures in moving water can be easily portrayed in glass due to its transparency and how it reacts with light.
Our expressive sketchbooks and bold ideas are then taken to our makers who push boundaries in their materials and are always up for exploring. Luckily with our design and lighting expertise, and their knowledge of unique techniques and processes, we are able to create innovative and unusual artistic designs that are unapologetically daring and beautifully made.