2018 Digital Fanoos

Digital Fanoos re-envisions the traditional Arabic lantern as a portable, programmable lamp, made from mold-blown glass and bespoke components

The 2018 MFA field study re-examines the traditional Arabic lantern, or fanoos—a symbol of festive welcome and safe haven. During a 5-day workshop at The Glass Hub, in southwest England, we produced fifty-four one-of-a-kind digital glass lamps, each one designed by a student or faculty member from the MFA in Design program. Each fanoos contained a rechargeable battery, a programmable LED light source, and a unique piece of mold-blown glass.

We created the lamps by blowing molten colored glass into hinged steel molds, which we designed and had 3D-printed ahead of time. We exhibited the results afterward, at the Katara Art Center in Doha. Our exhibition featured the molds, the working lamps, a process video, and the designers themselves, who demonstrated the project’s interactive digital function for visitors during a scheduled event at the gallery. Each digital fanoos was sold during the exhibition, with proceeds supporting the cost of future student travel and projects.