FK chats to Jane from Melbourne label, Two Layers of Cells

“Two Layers of Cells is a collaboration between light and art”. Can you tell us more about the concept behind your label?
The actual name came from a book I found in an opp shop about amoebas and cellular organisms. I had been thinking a lot about the effect of light on us at a cellular level and had already started developing the products for the label so when I came across the book it was the perfect fit. I really wanted to create something that combined both the unique beauty of original art work with the inspiring and transformative qualities of light which could also be a platform for other peoples creative expression, not only my own. So there are ‘two layers’ of medium (art + light) and the dialogue that happens in the space between is the creative input and thoughts from other people that results in the final personalised product.

Have you always been creative and what lead you to lighting?
Yes I’ve been drawing and making things as long as I can remember. I came into lighting around 2000, when I was studying drawing and printmaking at art school and investigating ideas about how we experience space. So I started looking into the possibilities of working with light instead of paper as it made sense that if I was going to explore concepts of space and our experience of it, I really needed to work with a medium that was conducive to that… and light is the perfect fit… so after my first visit to an electronics shop to buy a bunch of LEDs to play with I was hooked! That was the starting point and it’s just continued to grow and evolve from there.

Who or what inspires your work?
I’m inspired by so many different people and things! Artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Bill Viola, Dan Flavin and United Visual Artists. I also draw a lot of inspiration from interaction design, architecture, urban design, and even sciencey stuff like molecular biology and geeky stuff like computer programming!

What do you love about having your own label?
Definitely the freedom and flexibility that goes with doing your own thing as well as the opportunity to create something from nothing but an idea, and turn it into something real that other people can enjoy… it’s definitely a life enriching activity!

What have you found rewarding about working with lighting?
The most rewarding thing for me is seeing people inspired by the possibilities they can create with light and when people come back to me with photos of all the amazing lamps their kids/niece/nephew have created with the Draw-Your-Own Lightwrap kit and how much they loved making it…

What aspirations do you have for Two Layers of Cells and what is on the cards for 2011?
I have quite a few things in development at the moment, some of which I hope to launch later this year .. secrets! I’d also love to collaborate with more artists and work on some larger scale lighting projects. Soon I’ll be bringing out some new designs and lighting products, some of which you’ll see at the next Melbourne Finders Keepers!

www.twolayersofcells.com