Scrap aluminum slivers were worked into the Sworth Lamp, an exploding cloud of gleaming metal by designer Ilsa Parry and collaborator Tom Sutton. The curly slivers that the lamp is constructed from are ordinarily worthless by-products of the shipping industry, known as swarf. However, in Ilsa and Tom’s hands, they take on a valuable and visually softer form. If you’re struck by this LED lamp’s dynamic look and creative reuse of materials, give it your vote in the Bright Ideas Lighting Competition.

VOTE FOR THE SWORTH LAMP >

Ilsa Parry is the creative director of REthinkthings as well as the winner of Philippe Starck’s “design for life” BBC reality show. She has been working to reuse swarf since she spotted the industrial material scraps in 2004. Rather than let the aluminum enter the recycling process, which uses significant energy to melt the metal down, she chose to beautify it and feature it in her designs.

Parry and Sutton have developed 3 lighting products from the materials: a hanging pendant and two freestanding lamps.

+Ilsa Parry

+Tom Sutton