Larry Frederick
Steampunk Lamps
Larry Frederick is the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at The University of Missouri, Saint Louis. Prior to this position, Larry worked in Information Technology at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Emory University in Atlanta. Larry holds a Masters of Physics from Florida Atlantic University. He collects and restores antique technology from the time when function and design were equally important. His interest in the visual arts, collecting recycled materials and electrical circuits have now combined to produce a unique line of art lamps centering on the Steampunk style. Steampunk combines Victorian age design with anachronistic technology to create a feeling that the age of steam power continued into modern times. While living in California, his one-of-a-kind lamps were shown in both the Tidewater Gallery and the Goodwin Gallery in Stockton and frequently appeared in art fairs across Northern California. Constructing lamps from recycled materials, Larry was featured as a “green artist” in the February 2010 issue of San Joaquin Lifestyles Magazine. His work can currently be found at the Componere Gallery of Art (www.Componere.com), on the Delmar Loop, across from Blueberry Hill.
The Lamps
The lamps I have made are totally created from recycled parts or new old-stock parts with the exception of certain electrical components where safety is an issue. The original designs are intended to both reflect the past and to illuminate the future. They are all made of traditional metals and glass, not plaster substitutes as often found in lamps today. The use of real materials often means the lamps are, some would say, quite heavy, but I prefer to say solid. Sometimes they incorporate “found objects” that fit into or create a design statement. The lamps are not just art, but represent a considerable engineering challenge. They are not simply a pile of parts, but components integrated structurally to form a cohesive functional system that provides mechanical integrity and illumination, manages heat and, importantly, permits the bulbs to be changed. The bulbs are almost entirely off the shelf items from your local home improvement store, with a few exceptions available on the Internet. At the end of the day, I produce art that can actually be used at the end of the day, knowing the environment is a tiny bit better off.
Steampunk Lamps
Larry Frederick is the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at The University of Missouri, Saint Louis. Prior to this position, Larry worked in Information Technology at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Emory University in Atlanta. Larry holds a Masters of Physics from Florida Atlantic University. He collects and restores antique technology from the time when function and design were equally important. His interest in the visual arts, collecting recycled materials and electrical circuits have now combined to produce a unique line of art lamps centering on the Steampunk style. Steampunk combines Victorian age design with anachronistic technology to create a feeling that the age of steam power continued into modern times. While living in California, his one-of-a-kind lamps were shown in both the Tidewater Gallery and the Goodwin Gallery in Stockton and frequently appeared in art fairs across Northern California. Constructing lamps from recycled materials, Larry was featured as a “green artist” in the February 2010 issue of San Joaquin Lifestyles Magazine. His work can currently be found at the Componere Gallery of Art (www.Componere.com), on the Delmar Loop, across from Blueberry Hill.
The Lamps
The lamps I have made are totally created from recycled parts or new old-stock parts with the exception of certain electrical components where safety is an issue. The original designs are intended to both reflect the past and to illuminate the future. They are all made of traditional metals and glass, not plaster substitutes as often found in lamps today. The use of real materials often means the lamps are, some would say, quite heavy, but I prefer to say solid. Sometimes they incorporate “found objects” that fit into or create a design statement. The lamps are not just art, but represent a considerable engineering challenge. They are not simply a pile of parts, but components integrated structurally to form a cohesive functional system that provides mechanical integrity and illumination, manages heat and, importantly, permits the bulbs to be changed. The bulbs are almost entirely off the shelf items from your local home improvement store, with a few exceptions available on the Internet. At the end of the day, I produce art that can actually be used at the end of the day, knowing the environment is a tiny bit better off.
