show me the way

4 years ago we organized a garden party with an African theme. African fabrics hanging from the clothes line, tables dressed with African fabrics and plastic utensils, gorgeous food ... and happy people.

A lot of guests stayed overnight, the house was full. All the beds were taken, so a couple of friends put up their tent in the back of the garden. We live surrounded by fields, with no streetlight shining into the garden. So I had to come up with a solution to light up the way to the house, just in case our tent sleeping guests, if in need to go to the bathroom, would get safely to the house. I came up with this idea : hand-lights in plastic bins (to protect them from humidity) between the tent and the house. The result looked wonderful in the pitch black garden.

The next weeks the idea didn't leave my mind.

In some parts of Africa, children will mimic Western toys with everything that is available.

When I saw the expensive design lamps in the shops I wondered what the inventive African people would do to mimic these in the materials available on the local markets.

It was the year I started my 'pillar' or 'column' series; and one thing combined with the other was leading me to make a series of good mood lights.

2 of my good mood lights, photos by Sonny
Sonny is in Paris now and posted pictures he took in a Parisian gallery. An artist called Regis-R has a very similar kind of work. Have a look at them on Sonny's blog.