Conductive Origami, the project that combines 3D printing, textiles & lighting

The evolution of materials in 3D printing has opened the door to a number of groundbreaking applications. In the design sector, it is certainly a way for artists and designers to explore art with 3D printing. This is how young designer Yael Akirav decided to create her project, Conductive Origami. Her project is a series of original lamps created by exploring conductive materials, 3D printed directly from different textiles.

Inspired by ancestral origami techniques, Yael Akirav came up with the idea of blending these techniques with additive manufacturing to create unique accessories that illuminate as they expand. Yes, they don’t have a switch since the materials works as a conductor. This week we talked to Yael about her project and the importance of 3D printing in design in order to innovate.

3DN: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your experience with 3D printing?

I’m Yael Akirav, 27 years old, an industrial designer from Israel, Jerusalem. I recently graduated from the industrial design department at Bezalel academy of art and design. During my studies I was exposed for the first time to 3d printing technologies and it became my passion. Another passion of mine is using textile as a material for my designs, (I experimented using textile at my projects, first at Tiny Light and after Bloomiez), so It was only natural for me to combine them both .for my final project at Bezalel – Conductive Origami.