When you mention light fittings, you think glass, ceramics and a host of other traditional materials. Designer Roberto Tweraser thinks otherwise. He tells Ramona Depares about his saline concept. His light is composed of salt.
Specialising in design in Malta is not an easy choice of profession, as Roberto Tweraser will be the first to tell you. Not that this made him any less determined to succeed. With a passion for both interior and product design, and fresh from successfully completing a BA in 3D and Interiors, Roberto decided to take the plunge and follow his passion.
I wanted to use the little natural local resources our country has to offer, to create something truly unique
“When I enrolled in my first interiors and design course at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, I immediately knew that this is what I wanted to do for a living. Local awareness in design isn’t that strong and, sometimes, I feel that people don’t really get what we do – this is even truer for product design, which is mypreferred area.”
People find it hard to understand this genre of design, Roberto explains. And the question begs itself: what is it exactly?
“We create desirable and, more importantly, functional objects that can be used in daily life. The objects may range from complex electronic devices, such as domestic appliances and gadgets, to simple homeware accessories, light fittings or furniture. The choice in the objects we design is affected by our personal preferences and expertise, together with the manufacturing capabilities we have at our disposal.”
And this is precisely what led to the birth of Salt, Roberto’s highly innovative lighting concept. The idea originated through the designer’s particular passion for lighting design, which he fused together with inspiration derived from our very island. The result – lighting accessories created out of salt, as the name itself suggests.
“I have always admired designers who fuse their work with inherited local trade techniques and materials. With Salt, I wanted to use the little natural local resources our country has to offer, to create something truly unique. Surrounded as we are by the Mediterranean Sea, salt can be acquired quite easily and in vast quantities. Salt harvesting is a trade that has been locally practised for centuries but, unfortunately, nowadays, the tradition is on the verge of extinction as there are only a few active salt pans left.”
Despite this, Roberto discovered that there is still local interest in the trade, so much so that in the near future, the Salina salt pans, which date back to the time of the Knights of St John, should be completely restored to working order. Knowing how versatile this particular mineral is, the idea to incorporate it into interiors was born.
“We forget how versatile salt is. We use it in cooking, cosmetics, medicine... Why not interiors? Its crystal structure makes it ideal to be used in conjunction with light, as it refracts light magnificently.”
The rather, ahem, salty process to create these lighting fixtures is hardly a straightforward one, however. Roberto explains that there are four stages: mold making, casting, finishing and assembly. One of the product’s key features isthat each lamp is unique – to achieve this, Roberto produces a one-time moldfor each, which means not one isthe same, an important element insomething that is handcrafted with such care.
The second step involves mixing the salt with its binder and gradually casting it, bit by bit, in the mold. The third step involves the removal of the salt lamp from the mold, drilling all the necessary holes for the fittings and sanding the lamp. In the final stage, Roberto assembles and wires all the fittings onto the lamp.
“The whole project started off as an experiment, and then I continued developing it further in my thesis. In reality, it was never intended for financial purposes. However, there was quite a bit of interest in it so I decided to refine it and make it available for sale.”
Because salt is a very corrosive material, all the fittings used on the lamp, which come in contact with the salt, except for the bulb holder, are made out of marine-grade stainless steel. This ensures that no erosion occurs.
While the salt itself isn’t that hard to work with, quite a lot of time and patience are needed.
More than 75 per cent of the lamps themselves are made of salt; the rest is synthetic resin, which is used to bind and seal the grain in order to give it durability, so that it doesn’t melt or crumble.
“Obviously, there are many types of resins, so it is a question of experimenting to find the best one for the job.”
The public’s feedback has been extremely encouraging so far, with the original and functional thoughts behind its creation scoring high. Coupled with the fact that Roberto believes the product helps enhance awareness on local heritage by utilising a skill and resource to meet the demands of current trends, this makes all the work worthwhile.
And Roberto isn’t the only one to be happy with the results: his lamps won an artisan award, Premju Gieħ L-Artiġjanat 2012.
In future, he plans to expand his product design concepts to other areas, not necessarily working with salt. His goal is to constantly create new products, which can be manufactured and sold in the Maltese islands and abroad; in fact, he is currently working with another local designer to create a range of objects for the home.
We use it in cooking, cosmetics, medicine... Why not interiors? Its crystal structure makes it ideal to be used in conjunction with light, as it refracts light magnificently
“The idea is to produce simple and affordable, yet desirable objects for the home, which may be sold through a number of retail establishments on the island.
Trying to make it as an interior and product designer in Malta, with limited funds and resources, isn’t easy. You literally need to be constantly on the lookout for new opportunities and chase every possible lead.
“But I am honestly happy to see that the authorities are trying hard to push design in Malta. This kind of support can be just the push in the right direction that a struggling young designer or artist needs.”
www.tweraserdesign.com