In their element: Behind the scenes at Odd Matter

London – LS:N Global recently visited the studio of design duo Odd Matter for a detailed look at the experimental electroplating process behind the production of their OverNight lighting series.

Based in East London, Els Woldhek and Georgi Mannassiev have a wonderfully unconventional set of tools, including a large acid bath used to generate voltage needed to ‘grow’ the copper formations that bond the lights together.

The abstract 3D lights are made from glass panels that are taped together, painted with conductive paint, attached with wires and then submerged into a copper sulphate and sulphuric acid bath. A rectifier provides a low-voltage direct current into the bath that allows the copper-plating to occur over a sustained period – and that is when the magic happens. ‘We are not trying to make the perfect object that always comes out in the same way, we are trying to harvest the material’s potential,’ Mannassiev tells LS:N Global.

Made for the Vessel Gallery in London, the lights use the same material combination as traditional stained-glass windows, but are characterised by the beautifully prickly copper formulations that join the panels together in uniquely awkward shapes. To find out more about Odd Matter’s eclectic body of work, read our Portfolio feature.