Mutuus Studio's ashen luminaires evoke the ruins of a 'Dead City'

Ruins, dilapidated remains of once effulgent edifices, traces of antiquity blurred by the hand of time—a lost, dead city. Despite their elusive regal charm slowly conquered by layers of patina, historic structures or 'lost cities' continue to be subjects of deep fascination for many. For Seattle-based Mutuus Studio, these historical references become muses for their series of lighting designs aptly titled the Dead City collection. Inspired by Mutuus partner and artist Saul Becker's paintings and sculptures, the designs aim to explore the relationship between humans and their natural and built environments.

The Dead City Pendants, the Petra Pole Sconce, the Tikal Armed Sconce and the Daro Wall Sconce—each light from the collection references a lost city. "The shades for the lighting collection are all made of micarta, a composite material made from linen and epoxy; I am using the same linen I use in my paintings. I wanted to create a line of lights that captures that essence and celebrates the texture and warmth that reflects the environment of the Pacific Northwest," Becker tells STIR.

Mutuus Studio came into being in 2016 as a collaboration between architect and dancer Kristen Becker, architect and musician Jim Friesz and artist-designer Saul Becker. Mutuus stands for 'mutual' or 'exchange' in Latin, a reflection of the studio's philosophy wherein design is collaborative and mutually beneficial. "Our aesthetics have grown together over the decades, and our philosophies are aligned. Our studio philosophy is a deep, comprehensive appreciation for design and its ability to improve the lived experience," Becker shares with STIR.

Over the years, the interdisciplinary practice has built an oeuvre encompassing architecture and interior design, going a step further with Mutuus Made objects, with furniture design and lighting designed exclusively for clients. The Dead City collection marks the debut for Mutuus Made lighting, which is now available to the public.

The first light fixture of the collection was a culmination of experiments with leftover linen used to make canvases and resin to form a micarta lightweight shade. Becker called the light the Dead City Pendant, paying homage to handcrafted objects replaced with mass production in modern times. The pendant light, leading to the birth of Mutuus Made, set the development of an expanded collection in motion. "The idea about the economy of production, of making every part mean something, is probably the biggest challenge next to keeping all the production in-house," the designer tells STIR.

The Dead City Pendant embodies the patina achieved through time. The linen micarta shade is crafted in a way that maintains a sculptural presence even when the light is turned off. The collection's essence rests in the ambient glow of the signature handcrafted shade. The product design is available in two sizes: a large pendant with a four-inch width and a small pendant that seamlessly blends into various scales of living. The light filters through the previous handmade shade, resembling the golden hour at sunset.

Daro is a half-round sconce shade that appears eroded and weathered owing to hand-sanded linen micarta. The subtle variations of the material filter light in unique ways, making each shade distinct. The light first emerged in the design of a local Seattle restaurant where the dining atmosphere is likened to a Dutch still-life painting. "3D printing is all the rage, but I have always been drawn to old-fashioned modes of production," Becker explains. "You get incredible feedback by working directly with materials and learn so much about its strengths and weaknesses," the product designer adds.

The Tikal Armed Sconce features an extended arm that offers task light in tandem with the signature glow of the linen micarta shade. The texture of the shade visually alludes to stone, marble columns and the bark of a tree, injecting a vein of history into the contemporary design piece.

The Petra Pole Sconce is a striking fixture that features a patinated brass plate as its base. Hand-polished in the centre, the plate reflects light from the source in a captivating glow. The luminaire, in its timeless proportions, is reminiscent of a column carved out of a mountain.

In the ensemble that echoes the past in its expression and nuances, each fixture reaffirms the creative vision of the designers—a glimpse of antiquity lost to time. With each design, the lighting designers seek to highlight the evidence of the hands that made it while establishing a connection to the past.