ALEX RANDALL

Photo Credit Claire Rosen

Alex Randall was born in 1982 just outside London in the UK. She attended the Chelsea School of Art where she studied sculpture and later the Falmouth College of Art where she completed an MA in Professional Writing. During this time she started to develop thoughts through her texts about the memory of everyday things that would ultimately drive her to start making lighting art-works. Randall is well known for her bespoke large-scale pieces in hotels, bars, restaurants and private residencies all over the world. As well as being fundamentally useful, her work is also highly collectable among private art buyers. She usually works with a combination of reclaimed objects and modern technology, but in 2008 Randall started working with the controversial medium of taxidermy as a form of lighting art. Working from her studio in the heart of London, Alex has at her hands a wealth of inspiration in the form of everyday objects and skills that are abundant in the city and countryside around her. A typical day will see anything from sourcing animals from culls or hunts, meeting with the local blacksmith, scouting for atmospheric shoot locations to investigating architecture. Randall collaborates with the US photographer Claire Rosen and their images have already won multiple awards at The Prix de La Photographie in Paris and The Sony Worldwide Photographic Awards.

1982 2008

Alex specialises in one-off pieces for specific sites and clients, therefore a lot of the work in this book is sold. If you would like to discuss your own requirements please contact Alexs studio in London or a local representative. Some standard and limited edition pieces, including prints in collaboration with Claire Rosen, are available to purchase directly through retailers.

Claire Rosen

In Europe: Alex Randall www.alexrandall.co.uk studio@alexrandall.co.uk +44 (0) 203 302 7136

In Hong Kong and China: Lane Crawford Home Store One Island South Hong Kong www.lanecrawford.com customercare@lanecrawford.com 400 120 1483

THE ALADDIN CHANDELIER

80 x 95 x 95 cm Nine vintage Aladdin heaters Steel frame

The Aladdin Chandeliers created by Alex consist of nine antique Aladdin blue flame heaters. These heaters were designed and made in the UK by Aladdin who were established in 1919 and were most likely used during WW2. Not only were they designed to offer both heat and light but they were also used to cook on.

9 1919

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

THE ANTLER CHANDELIER

180 x 140 x 140 cm Humainly removed red deer Antlers from Devon Hand forged steel and chromed wishbone hangers Hand blown glass

The Antler Chandelier consists of ten pairs of antlers hanging from giant chromed wishbone shaped hooks. The antlers naturally lock together to form a ball shape providing protection for the hand blown glass central light.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

Where past seasons have seen many designers referencing the antler as a motif, most choose to beautify the object, removing the antler from the action of death. Unsurprisingly, Randall moves the opposite way, hanging hers from a series of meaty hooks for an effect thats still beautiful but more sympathetic to the lineage of the item.

Richard Prime www.coolhunting.com

BAKELITE PHONE LAMPS

30 x 25 x 20 cm Antique Bakelite phone lamp Flexible gooseneck arm LED bulb

The award winning Bakelite Telephone Lamp was the first design created by Alex. Its simplicity and beauty has made it a modern day classic with a quintessential English flavour.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

Each lamp is made using an antique bakelite telephone and updated with a flexible arm and LED bulbs. There are many different telephone options available: black, white, red, green and even copper.

LED

BLACKSMITHS BELLOWS

95 x 55 x 55 cm Antique leather and wood bellows Hand forged steel top pieces

The bellows were rescued from a decaying barn in East Devon. They were made by Godwin Warren & Co. in Bristol and were originally framed on decorative iron legs. Amazingly the leather and wood had survived and still puffed air through their massive gills. Stamped on the top of the bellows reads: Prize Medal 1851 Prize Medal 1862 Special Gold Medal Paris

Godwin Warren & Co 1851 1862

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

Godwin Warren & Co. were a successful engineering and manufacturing firm for well over one hundred years, but when plastics and cheaper foreign imports took over from British-made metals in the 60s, the firm could not compete. Eventually Godwin Warren was sold in 1988 to Tully.

Godwin Warren & Co 60 Godwin Warren 1988Tully

THE CARRIERS

170 x 120 x 120 cm Humainly sourced taxidermy pigeons Aged steel frame

23 taxidermied pigeons carry this spiny ball through the air. When Alex started conceiving this piece she was thinking about the antipigeon spikes that are so abundant around our architecture. Pretty quickly however, it took on a more religious theme.

23

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

IN MEMORY OF THE CARROUSEL

85 x 50 x 28 cm Rawhide Twisted silk chord

These rawhide casts are of antique carrousel horses that were popular during the Victorian era.These individual hanging lamps can be clustered together or used individually to amazing effect.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

CHAIN CHANDELIERS

Varying dimensions Brass and steel chain Antique ship lantern Steel frame

These chandeliers cut an impressive form in the evening but also allow natural light to flow through during the day. Traditional in shape but not in material, the chain chandeliers are industrial yet elegant. In the very centre of the chandeliers hangs a salvaged ships light from which the chains billow and sparkle. Before a time of plastics, lights like these were hand made in copper and brass. This is true quality and craftsmanship that will last a lifetime.

For the ultimate space these huge chandeliers have everything: character, conviction and understated elegance.

THE CHIMNEY COWL

55 x 60 x 60 cm Vintage chimney cowl

The Excelsior Chimney Cowl Chandelier was saved from a dreadful fate when Alex discovered the piece at a Devon scrap yard. Stamped with a Brass Plate the piece reads: HILL & HEYS PATENT HALIFAX The Excelsior Syphon Ventilator And bears the British coat of arms Dieu Et Mon Droit (God and my Right). Very little is known about the company Hill & Hey.s They are mentioned in the 1883 Newcastle-upon-Tyne exhibition report, where they were awarded a certificate of merit for their work on Double Current Aerentilators.

HILL & HEY Dieu Et Mon Droit Hill & Hey1883

THE CYMBAL CHANDELIER

90 x 110 x 110 cm 29 brass and metal cymbals of varying sizes

The Cymbal Chandelier was first created for a store in central London. Its complete form (made from anything up to 50 separate cymbals) hangs together from a central column, the light radiating from random points under the cymbals. There is something innately beautiful about this piece with its almost waterlily-like nature and reflective quality.

50

DUCK DESK LAMP

45 x 35 x 30 cm Humainly sourced taxidermy Mallard duck (comes with licence) Silk cord and shade (available in any colour) Steel base

Alex specialises in using reclaimed materials in chandeliers and lamps. Looking at this work you can see a re-emergence of taxidermy as a reaction to a decade when sameness reigned be that Eames or Ikea. Theres a desperation to reintroduce character to our homes says Randall.

-- --

Taxidermy is incongruously an ethical design choice. If an animal is already dead, why not preserve it? Most of the animals we use are shot as vermin and their bodies either used as food for other animals or left to rot. By giving them a purpose, they become quite beautiful Randall remarks. Rats, ravens and crows play into taxidermys inate Gothicism. Yet once creatives get their hands on a furry or feathery body, the results can be playful rather than dark and depressing. Here the aristocratic trophy tradition is twisted into something anti-establishment. Words: Francesca Gavin, taken from Wallpaper magazine, Fatal Attraction April 2009.

Francesca Gavin 2009 4

FLY-TOX

60 x 30 x 30 cm Dried butterflies Antique insect spray cannister

The Fly-Tox Wall Lamp has been made using an antique insect spray cannister and 50 dried Appiaslyncidavasava. The Butterflies cluster around the lamp creating a warm, shadowy glow.

50

IN MEMORY OF FREDDIE

320 x 130 x 95 cm Rawhide Mirrored base Flexible Neon, LED lighting

The statue In Memory of Freddie has been created with the permission of Queen, using a rawhide skin cast over the original statue in Montreux. The skin forms an imperfect mould of the original - it is affected by the climate it dries in, in this case the crisp air around Lake Geneva and the mountains, and by the nature of that particular animals skin. Some hides curl and some lie flat; some have holes and some are solid. Each imperfection is picked up by the varying degrees of light that radiates through the skin.

Queen Montreux

The concept behind this material is to denote that whilst something may be gone, it is not forgotten and that our memories are rarely perfect. Rather than an exact replica we are left with a discarded chrysalis. Because of the symbolic importance of this statue Alex felt it only appropriate to dedicate the profits made by the sale of this piece to the charity set up in Freddies name, The Mercury Phoenix Trust.

Mercury Phoenix Trust

THE GRAMOPHONE CHANDELIER

110 x 110 x 110 cm 12 Gramaphone horns Steel central piece

A modern day design classic, The Gramophone Chandelier has won critical acclaim across the board for its provocative design and use of the classic horns.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

No longer relics of a bygone era, the brass horns sing again with purpose. The Gramophone Chandelier is available to order to your specific size requirements.

LOST

40 x 30 x 30 cm Taxidermy swallow Gold wedding ring Brass and silver thread Steel base

Lost is a piece consisting of a swallow taking flight carrying an antique wedding band with a lamp attached by string. It was with sadness that Alex found this bird dead after its long journey from Africa. These birds have long been the symbol of mariners and of lost souls. It was once believed that if a sailor died at sea the birds would carry their soul to heaven. Even in the most isolated oceans these birds would appear as they migrate, bringing comfort to the sailors with hopes of land.

LOUDHAILER

100 x 65 x 65 cm Metal loudhailers Steel frame

This chandelier has been created using 15 loudhailers, each acting as individual light sources. Because of the swiveling mounting brackets, this piece allows for total flexibility in lighting direction and can be adjusted whenever required.

15

THE MILKING MACHINE

110 x 110 x 30 cm Antique milking urn and clusters Polished steel frame

It would have been easy to turn this antique milking machine into a simple floor lamp of a respectable nature but I knew it deserved something more says Randall.. There is something so slightly embarrassing about the nature of the cluster (the milking pipes) that fills the piece with humour, I knew it couldnt be photographed in a simple studio. Living just a few hundred yards from a milking farm certainly had its use on this occasion. Robert, the farmer at Diptford Downs Farm warned us that the calves could be a bit frisky so to keep a close eye. After planting the lamp in the straw we watched as the calves started moving closer. I watched in amazement as they licked and smelt the lamp and before I knew what was happening one had mounted it. Fortunately I had the perfect shot already!

100 Diptford Downs

ORGAN PIPE CHANDELIER

210 x 130 x 130 cm Hand-spun brass organ pipes Steel centre piece

One of Alexs most impressive pieces to date, the Organ Pipe Chandelier has been created using 18 bespoke brass organ pipes. Organ pipe making or voicing is one of the oldest craft practices still alive in the UK. These organ pipes have been made in the UK in the traditional way with the fluted ends spun on a wooden last. This is an incredibly skilled hands-on practice whereby the frictional heat of the spinning mould slowly shapes the metal.

18

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

The incredible quality of the golden light formed from the horns casts haloes of light in all directions. Even when not switched on the chandelier is a beautiful glowing sculpture that reflects some of the UKs finest traditional craftspeople.

PATIENCE

82 x 55 x 40 cm Antique wooden prosthetic legs Wooden base

Patience is an unusual floor lamp made from base mounted antique wooden prosthetic legs. The legs are thought to have been made around 1915 in Roehampton, near London, at Queen Marys Hospital. Between 1914 and 1921 over 41,000 British soldiers lost at least one limb as a result of their injuries. Queen Marys Hospital was set up in order to deal with the vast number of men awaiting limbs where arms and legs were made on-site in the basement and in huts.

1915 1914192141,000

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

PARTIDGE DANCE

100 x 90 x 90 cm Humainly sourced red-legged patridges Hand forged steel Twisted silk cord

These Red-Legged Partridges are one of the most colourful game birds we have in the UK; we source ours from carcasses that are disposed of after the hunting season. Rather than flying, these Partridges prefer to run most of the time, however they will fly to perch in trees and nest. Because of this, these birds have evolved bizarrely small wings that are only good for very short flight. The playfulness and rather silly nature of these birds comes across in this chandelier. These birds are the jesters of the game world, clucking loudly as they try to take off.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

PIGEON PENDANTS

20 x 38 x 30 cm Humainly sourced taxidermy pigeon Twisted silk cord - available in any colour

The first Pigeon Pendants were created for a store in London. Through the store the Pigeons flocked carrying with them their own individual light. Many people see them as vermin but Alex has always admired something else about the Pigeon, their ability to adapt to the city from their majestic Egyptian background.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

They are kicked at, fed chewing gum and shot. What is it we hate so much about Pigeons? Look at a pigeon closely and you will see the shimmering green and purple on their neck, the thousands of tiny soft feathers on the underside of their wings and tail, and the camouflaging stripes upon their backs.

RAMS HEAD WALL LIGHT

50 x 30 x 20 cm Rawhide

Made using a brand new technique developed by Alex; this wall light is formed of a single piece of untreated Scottish deer skin that has been shaped and stretched around a rams head.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

THE RAT SWARM LAMP

50 x 30 x 50 cm Humainly sourced taxdermy rats

This controversial piece was first unveiled at New York Design Week in May 10 to critical (albeit shocked) acclaim and has since been causing a stir in London. It was reviewed as The Most Nightmarish Lamp Ever Created by Susan Labarre (www. fastcompany.com) who said, its probably the sickest and oddly, one of the prettiest, objects to debut at New York Design Week

510 Susan Labarre www.fastcompany.com

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

Other reviewers have called it a thing of dark pleasure (Richard Prime, www.coolhunting.com) and a seductive mixture [of] repellent and magnetic (Jaime Gross www.dwell.com) Whatever your opinion, it certainly doesnt fail to bring smiles to (almost) everyone who sees and swarms around it.

Richard Prime www.coolhunting.com (Jaime Gross www.dwell.com)

THE SANCTUARY CHANDELIER

130 x 60 x 60 cm Antique church lamp Brass chain

Hanging central to the Sanctuary Chandelier is an original, solid brass church light from the 19th Century. This particular lamp is an exceptionally fine example of the popular neo-gothic style. From the quatrefoil openings on the chain to the cathedral spires on the lamp itself, this piece represents Roman Catholic churches of that period. Within the church the sanctuary lamp is traditionally kept burning where it represents the ever-lasting presence of Christ in a sin-darkened world.

19

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

SAW BLADE CHANDELIER

380 x 130 x 130 cm Antique saw blades Hand forged steel top

The Saw Blade Chandelier consists of 26 antique saw blades hanging independently from meat hooks on a spiral frame. The largest saw is an antique pit saw used to cut planks of wood and measures well over 2 metres long. The frame hangs from a hand forged metal rope that is fraying, so that the whole piece appears to be hanging dangerously from a single thread.

2
26

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

SQUIRREL WALL LIGHTS

50 x 10 x 10 cm Taxidermy squirrel Metal wall plate Silk shade and twisted flex (available in any colour)

The grey squirrels were introduced into England during the 19th Century. They were released into parks mainly for the novelty factor by wealthy Victorians who would enjoy watching and feeding the characterful critters. This is still done, and to this day people visit Londons parks just to feed the vivacious squirrels.

19

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

The grey squirrel is yet another display of the devastation caused by humans introducing an alien species to our already sensitive ecosystem. They are regularly culled by the Forestry Commission and private land owners in an effort to regain some natural balance. Since then though the grey squirrel has devastated Britains native red squirrel and woodland bird population. They brought with them North American parasites and diseases that our native squirrels could not compete with. Not only that but they are bigger, faster and seemingly fearless.

TACKLE BLOCK

65 x 35 x 25 cm Antique wooden block Hand forged metal rope

The Tackle Block Lamps are made using ancient wooden triple blocks found in Plymouth on the south coast of England. They most likely came off a traditional wooden Tall Ship and were used to hoist/lower sails and keep the mast and beams tensioned. The shade on this piece has been made out of one continuous piece of hand forged metal which resembles the traditional piece of rope that would be running through the block.

TEA CHEST CHANDELIERS

80 x 60 x 60 cm Vintage tea chests split open

This old couple were discovered in a warehouse in Devon. They were coated in rust and the lids were entirely stuck. After some sand blasting the lids finally came off to reveal the original labels inside. They were Finest Tea Chests for a Mr Houghton of Houghton and Sons. The idea for these pieces came from the unpeeling of an orange. It just goes to show, you never know where or when inspiration will strike.

Houghton and Sons Houghton

TUBA CHANDELIER

100 x 115 x 115 cm 8 vintage brass and silver tubas Steel centre

Eight huge antique brass and silver tubas form the body of this gargantuan chandelier. The tuba is the largest and lowest pitch brass instrument and tuba directly translated from the Latin means horn. Although the instruments are no longer able to create music, the craftsmanship can still be admired and enjoyed in its new use.

8 tuba

IN MEMORY OF TRIUMPH

160 x 90 x 80 cm Rawhide cast Steel central pole Available as hanging or floor lamp

This lamp is a replica of the ancient statue of Triumph which is in the Louvre in Paris. This has been created using Alexs new technique of casting shapes in rawhide. These pieces provoke thoughts of abandoned skins or chrysalises. Like those of snakes or butterflies, these abandoned cases become only memories of their former occupants.

THE VALOR LAMP

95 x 65 x 65 cm Split open Volor daylight oil cannister

The Valor Daylight oil tank was found in a barn in Devon. Originally operated with a manual hand pump, this container has been revitalised into a beautiful industrial chandelier.

Photo Credit Randall and Rosen

In Europe: Alex Randall www.alexrandall.co.uk studio@alexrandall.co.uk +44 (0) 203 302 7136

In Hong Kong and China: Lane Crawford Home Store One Island South Hong Kong www.lanecrawford.com customercare@lanecrawford.com 400 120 1483

www.alexrandall.co.uk