Independent creative project: designing the making of a lampshade
The plafond, from the French plafond (“ceiling”), is a transparent, decorative cover around a light source; it spreads the light of a ceiling or wall lamp and keeps it from dazzling the eyes. Because incandescent lamps got so hot that they melted plastic decorations, LED light sources are now used more. In the project’s preparatory stage demand is studied; in design a materials list (a 5 litre plastic bottle, plastic spoons, wire, lamp socket, LED) and sketches are drawn up. By the technological map the bottle is cut, the handle ends of the spoons are trimmed and the spoons are glued in rows around the bottle. Cutting the bottle with a utility knife and using the glue gun are done under an adult or teacher; connecting the wire, socket and lamp to the mains is done only with the power switched off by a qualified master or the teacher, and a pupil never does it alone. At the end of the project the cost price is calculated, the environmental assessment made and the presentation given.
Fill in a “work sheet” for the plafond project’s 5 stages: 1–2 lines per stage. Then sketch your own plafond design (shape, colour, pattern) and estimate the material cost. Connecting electrical parts is only for the teacher or a master: your task is the design and the outer shade.