The Ammonite collection
Modern 3d printed candle holders inspired by fossil shapes
A lamp shaped by natural law
The journey began along the south-west coast of England, on a fossil-hunting route toward the Jurassic Coast. With a sketchbook and camera as quiet companions, the road from London to Lyme Regis unfolded into a landscape shaped by deep time and geological transformation. Among its most striking natural formations is the Giant Ammonite Causeway, a ledge revealed as ancient seabeds rose from beneath the ocean after millennia of submersion. Embedded within this surface are thousands of ammonites, some reaching over 70 centimetres in diameter. These fossilised remains of ancient cephalopods reveal a geometry that feels both natural and mathematical. Their shells follow the Fibonacci sequence, forming logarithmic spirals that recur throughout nature. This ancient geometry has long been a source of fascination, inviting close observation and contemplation.
When the material fades, the idea remains
The object is fabricated using PET filament, a material commonly associated with everyday plastic water bottles. Fully recyclable and designed to degrade over time, this material choice reflects an awareness of cycles, impermanence, and environmental responsibility. Rather than becoming a permanent artefact or a future fossil, the object is intended to return to the material system from which it originated, reinforcing a dialogue between longevity and transience.
Natural systems as computational models
Through sustained observation and formal exploration, the spiral emerged as a conceptual and structural point of departure for a lighting object. The ammonite’s geometry was translated into a parametric model, allowing an ancient natural form to be reinterpreted through contemporary digital processes. When light is introduced at the centre, it moves outward through the curved walls, diffusing gently across the surface and evoking the image of a luminous shell slowly revealed from darkness. The digitally generated path directs the movement of the 3D printer, producing layered, undulating textures that amplify the interaction between light, shadow, and material depth.
Designed just for you
As a candle holder or light object, it lends itself naturally to intimate settings such as a dining table or living space. The soft glow it produces contributes to a warm, contemplative atmosphere, encouraging moments of stillness, gathering, and quiet reflection.
