This chandelier is constructed from hundreds of individually cut and shaped fragments of oak veneer, layered into a suspended, circular form that seems to hover in space. Each fragment has been carefully feathered, their irregular edges echoing surfaces worn away by time and natural forces. The interior surfaces are finished with 22ct rose gold leaf, hand-gilded to catch and reflect the light with warmth and depth. Hidden LEDs softly illuminate the work from within, creating an amber glow that transforms the chandelier into both a source of light and a sculptural presence.

The piece continues Marc Fish’s Relics Series, where laminated walnut veneer rings were eroded to form vessel-like artefacts. Here, the language of erosion moves into the architectural scale of lighting, balancing fragility with strength, decay with refinement.

The chandelier draws inspiration from the paper-thin laminae of wasps’ nests—a natural architecture built from repeated layers, remarkable for its lightness and resilience. Fish translates this principle into furniture-scale design through his unique veneer lamination technique, a process that allows wood to take on forms of unexpected delicacy and fluidity.

The use of gilded interior surfaces amplifies this organic inspiration: the glow of the LEDs evokes the warmth of life within a nest, while the jagged veneer edges suggest erosion and impermanence. The piece becomes an artefact suspended between natural history and contemporary craft, simultaneously fragile in appearance and robust in construction.

In combining traditional gilding with innovative lamination, Fish situates this chandelier within a dialogue of craft, sculpture, and design. It is both functional and poetic: a light that does not simply illuminate space, but also embodies themes of time, transformation, and the beauty of decay.