Interview: Sanja Lulei on textile luminaires

For Machwerkschau #04, Buschfeld is developing the handwoven luminaire Light.ness together with textile designer Sanja Lulei. In this interview, Lulei speaks about her experimental weaving approach, the effect of light on textile structures and the process of transforming a woven surface into a spatial light object. She also offers insights into her collaboration with Buschfeld and the particular relationship between textiles, materiality and 48V lighting technology.

You work with a very calm, distinctive approach. How does a piece of weaving begin for you?
Weaving is always based on a fundamental order. The more precise the preparation, the more accurate the result. But I don’t work strictly according to a plan. Much of it develops intuitively, directly within the process. The textile often leads me further than I originally anticipated.

Your work moves between construction and deconstruction. What does that mean in practice?
I begin with a clear structure. Over time, parts of this structure dissolve again. This creates forms that appear ordered yet carry a certain sense of movement. This constant interplay is what brings the textiles to life for me.

White-on-white is a central element of your work. Why this reduction?
For me, white-on-white is not an aesthetic choice but a focus on what is essential. The material should be allowed to speak for itself. The structures create enough depth and sensuality on their own — colour is not necessary.

How does light change your textiles?
Light reveals new layers. Structure, weave and material all respond differently depending on its intensity and direction. Alongside the tactile dimension, a visual one emerges — one that shapes the atmosphere of a space and can adapt to different needs.

At what point does a textile become a spatial object for you?
From early on, I was drawn to the idea of expanding a surface and bringing it into the room. When you weave three-dimensionally and allow the material to unfold, something appears that moves beyond the flat plane and develops its own character.

Calm spaces play an important role in your work. How do you translate this approach?
In the end, every piece has a poetic quality, created through the interplay of fibre, form and light. The sense of calm does not come from reduction for its own sake but from a clear balance.

What materials are used in light.ness?
Wool, cotton and linen. Each fibre brings its own quality, and together they create a calm, flexible expression.

How did the idea for light.ness come about?
I worked with white-on-white surfaces for a long time. The structure was so present that moving from the flat plane into the spatial felt almost like a natural next step. What differs less is the technique itself and more the way the finished textile is treated afterwards.

How do you achieve the balance between structure and lightness?
A precise underlying structure is always there. The lightness comes from the materials and from a process that has become increasingly intuitive over the years.

What appealed to you about the collaboration?
Two approaches meet: a textile, artistic one and a technical one. This combination opens up new possibilities. Buschfeld brings experience in lighting design and planning, which complements my approach in a very natural way. 

The woven tube is fixed over a glass cylinder. What was challenging about that?
To be honest: the time. It was a very fast project.

Which aspects of the Buschfeld system align well with your approach?
Modularity, flexibility, and the openness to try new things and to combine digital aspects with the analogue. 

The connection to the lighting track is crucial. How did you approach this interface?
It was important to me to imagine the light object without visible construction. The simplicity of the Buschfeld lighting track makes this possible: the luminaire appears as if it were floating.
 

How do different formats, for example longer tubes or larger diameters,  influence the work?
Simply by scaling or arranging multiple elements, entirely new spatial situations emerge. That is the modular character of the work, only thought of in textile terms.

What role do one-of-a-kind pieces and small series play for you?
They allow for quality and a close relationship to the material. After many years in the textile industry, I know how quickly production cycles overlook social and ecological aspects. Individual fabrication offers a counterbalance.

What comes next:  new materials, new dimensions?
I am drawn more to the spatial dimension than to the material itself. Thinking on a larger scale, considering the room as part of the work, and exploring modular systems with different moods or controls — these are directions I find exciting.

What does presenting Light.ness at the Machwerkschau mean to you? Especially as it marks a premiere for both Buschfeld and you?
For me, it is a special moment to show Light.ness for the first time within the context of the machwerkschau. The collaboration itself is new, and the decision to develop a light object using an organic, soft material such as wool, cotton and linen introduces an unfamiliar accent within the environment of Buschfeld’s technically driven luminaires.

I find this contrast particularly exciting: the textile, handwoven structure brings a different energy into the space — softer, calmer, more bodily. The fact that the Machwerkschau makes this dialogue visible feels fitting. The luminaire appears there not only as an object, but as the beginning of a collaboration that connects two different approaches.

More information about Light.ness can be found here. >
Machwerkschau #04 can offer inspiration. >

Website: www.sanjalulei.com
Photos: M. Weber | keine Filme