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PHOTOS Louis Minnaar WORDS Nikki Benatar

Known for directing alternative music videos and boundary-pushing commercials, super-talented Louis Minnaar’s new range of lights is, well, turning us on.

We’re quite impressed with Louis Minnaar’s unconventional approach to whatever he creates. Whether he’s directing a music video for Jack Parow, die Heuwels Fantasties and AKing, or directing the Hyundai i20 commercial, his alternative aesthetic underpins all his creations. Not to mention that he’s a member of Afrikaans electro rap band Bittereinder, which is currently on the 5fm top 40!

With his project LIG, the 28-year-old Pretoria-born-and-raised designer has created an exquisite range of three-dimensional lamps made from laser-cut pieces of compressed wood. They’ve got a contemporary Scandi-Japanese look and feel but are unmistakeably original.

Not surprisingly, his no-rules approach applies here too. When we asked him if form should follow function or vice versa, he answered: “Either way is good for me, as long as it works.” It’s this laid-back, unaffected attitude that makes his work fresh and thoroughly contemporary.

082 575 6333, liglamp.co.za, louisminnaar@gmail.com