‘Crafting a menorah is like making a musical instrument,’ says Max Voss-Lloyd of design brand Rubble. ‘It is an object with a standard set of rules to make it fit for the purpose of celebrating the Jewish Hanukkah.’
Voss-Lloyd has united the contemporary with the traditional in his design crafted from aerated concrete, a lightweight form of concrete that allows for easy shaping and requires only the use of a chisel and saw. Most importantly, the material is non-flammable. ‘The material offers endless creative possibilities. I can work it wet or dry, but it’s dusty work, so I finish the final stages by submerging it in water. Once the carving and sanding process is finished and the concrete has had a few days to dry out, I love the texture and tone of the material,’ explains the designer.
‘The most obvious design consideration here is the middle candle arm, the shamash, as it needs to be higher than the rest. I am reimagining a Hanukkah menorah for a new generation. It was an interesting exercise to redesign this iconic piece through the stone-age lens. Overall, I am looking for balance and harmony.’
The fragility of the material became apparent when Voss-Lloyd was creating nine equal spaces for the candles while its unpredictability also makes the sandpapering process a precarious one.
The Hanukkah menorah joins Rubble’s collection of table lamps and candlesticks. ‘Our objective is to have fun and create timeless and biomorphic objects that evoke not only a personality, but also a sense of story and history,’ says Voss-Lloyd. ‘I like to make functional objects and hope to see them installed in homes for years to come. It’s extremely satisfying to think that once a year our menorah will come out to take pride of place in many homes and be an integral part of a family celebration.’
Table lamp by Rubble, with aerated concrete base
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