UMOs are a mini-series of small light sculptures crafted from Parian ceramics. These little characters are a fusion inspired by Noguchi's akari lamps and a type of lamp I encountered at a pool center in Zurich, although they are considerably smaller in size. When I learned about the Parian porcelain's remarkable light-transmissive properties through a teacher friend at Zurich University of the Arts, I felt compelled to create something using this medium.

Once I had manufactured the mold, a substantial amount of experimentation was necessary to determine the optimal thickness for the walls. The objective was to make the walls as thin as possible without encountering significant issues during the firing process in the oven. Porcelain becomes extremely soft and prone to collapse during firing, so I had to identify the precise thickness that would prevent such collapse.

In a subsequent step, I designed a small CNC-bent wire construction to secure the candle in place and elevate the ceramics from the ground. All in all, I gained a wealth of knowledge about this exceptional material through this process.