Laniakea – Hawaiian for “immeasurable heaven”. Laniakea Light by AMINIMAL is a pendant Lamp designed to entice our curiosity in astronomy and the advancement of scientific research. Inspired by the trajectory through space and time of the celestial galaxy supercluster, Laniakea – The intricate design commemorates the place and path we are all on in the universe. Their research and explantation is a wonderful insight to these complex systems. More info can be found in their publication and video explanation.

“The Laniakea Supercluster of Galaxies” published in Nature, volume 513, number 7516, p.71 (4 September 2014) by R. Brent Tully, Hélène Courtois, Yehuda Hoffman, and Daniel Pomarède. Superclusters are among the largest-known structures of the cosmos. We have just begun to understand their vastness in our observable universe. Scientist at the University of Hawaii have mapped out the supercluster of galaxies’ contouring flow patterns. Magnetic fields have been used in our work with collection of 3D printed jewelry and Lighting designs.

We have found these forms to perform extremely well with structural integrity at small and medium scale. And plan to use this system for future larger scale works. At Aminimal, we research and apply generative design tools to aid us in our creations, as a way to keep a consistent body of interrelated works and a philosophy for creation. The magnetic field simulation is a method that enables us to create complex forms simply by assigning the values and positions. The results are invisible natural structures that become the integral base geometry for tangible designs.

“Complexity is simple” has been our guideline approach for the artwork. Laniakea Light is an exploration and visualization of diverse connections in our universe. The experimentation of the magnetic field structures was developed into a bigger idea – using the the beauty of our galaxy supercluster as an inspiration to create a scientific aesthetic. Laniakea lamps are designed and produced at our studio in Brooklyn. The process started with 3D magnetic field simulations to determine the form.

The complexity of the form could be produced easily by 3D printing but the scale was relatively large and a factor of time, material, craft, and cost. We reiterated the production method for laser cutting. The 3D form was reversed engineered to be cut flat for production and folded for assembly, while still keeping its structural integrity when finished. We prepare a composite material, a layer of tyvek and mylar bonded together, to be perfectly cut on a CNC lasercutter. The 9 parts are sequentially assembled to create the lamp. A combination of digital and handmade craft.

We are on a planet, that revolves around our sun. This sun is spinning around the edge of a large galaxy, the milky way. The Milky way is one of approximately 100,000 other nearby galaxies that is connected in the Supercluster of Laniakea. Us, the planet, the sun, the Milky way, the other 100,000 galaxies are all moving in the similar directions through space and time in one complex beautiful movement. The Laniakea light connects the Macrosm of the Laniakea supercluster with the microcosm of the pendant lamp.

Design: AMINIMAL