A talk with Ana Kras about her Bonbon Lamps
Made by hand PREV

Text: Florencia Serrot Geminelli
Photography: Ana Kras

We first knew about Ana Kras through her marvelous photography, but then we found her side as an industrial designer and beautiful lamps with an amazing name. Bonbon. With industrial design, I mean it is hard to find something that being new has this cozy and nice warm feeling. But with the Bonbons, you want to have them all, in all shapes and colors. Or at least that's what happens to us, and one of the reasons we were really looking forward to having her for VOLTA NY.

Tell us a bit more about you: Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing in NY?

My name is Ana Kras. I was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and lived there most of my life. At the moment, I am based in NYC, where I have my studio.

Photography and Industrial design: how did you get to that combination?

I love both things. They are very different. I would be heartbroken if I had to choose only one.

We love your bonbon lamps. When did you start making them?

I made the first one about 4 years ago and exhibited them for the first time during Salone in Milan in 2010.

Was any traditional knitting or technique involved or used as inspiration?

I don’t know how to knit or do any of those techniques, unfortunately. I was not inspired by any of the traditional methods just because they seem too complicated to me. Making these lamps kind of reminds me of weaving.

What about the colors, any preferences?

I like all the colors, and I mix them freely because I like how they change each other.

Since we are a contemporary guide to sustainability, we also want to talk about how you produce your objects! Tell us more!

I try to use materials responsibly. I try to get cotton from the fashion industry since they have a lot of leftovers. Some brands don’t want to give away their leftovers but do want to sell them, so I choose to buy those instead of the new ones.

Do you make them all by hand?

I do. Each one has been made by me so far.

Do you work with other brands to produce them?

How can we buy them?

At the moment, I do make some lamps per request, but very few of them. I am preparing a big exhibition, so I try to sell as few as possible. They are not available in shops, but maybe next year I will make a small edition available.