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Shades of creativity

There's a lot you can do with paper, says Jenny Pinto, whose lamps are on show at Amethyst

Arty experiments: Jenny Pinto —Pic by K. Murali Krishna

SOMETHING AS plain as paper comes alive in Jenny Pinto's hands to form glowing earthy shades for cosy corners in your home. What goes into the lampshade is even more amazing. Fibres of banana stem, mulberry, sisal, assorted grasses, and even ladies-finger plant stalks and those of the gongura (hot chutney material in Andhra Pradesh)!

"What's different about my lampshades is that I make my own paper. I'm a paper-maker first and then a designer," smiles Jenny Pinto, who has been experimenting with handmade paper for the last five years. And for the first time she's brought a cross-section of her creations — standing lamps with crushed paper shades, geometrical ones for the walls, paper and wood lamps and classy paper-and-handcut granite lamps — to Amethyst.

Going organic, Jenny, a self-taught paper maker, who searched for books on the subject when she started out, took to experimenting with plant fibres and various river grasses. "Paper from plant fibres lends itself to sculpting and can be made into organic shapes," says Jenny, pointing out to shades that look like papery crinkled oyster shells, or twisted paper that forms a streak of flame. "My lampshades won't fit any old lamp that's lying at home, because the lamp and shade are integral to the design. I don't really start off with an idea. It just takes its own form, once I start sculpting it. Very often the best designs come out of mistakes!"

She also experimented with cora grass mat waste from handicraft units and incorporated weeds that destroy Kerala's rainforests, in an effort to recycle waste.

Woven scrolls

Jenny is now into paper weaving, making paper scrolls for modern homes. Some of the woven scrolls will also be there at the Amethyst exhibition. Most of her clients are young people just setting up home and looking for something to go with their organic décor. Her lampshades range between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 7,000. You can catch Jenny Pinto and her exclusive creations at Amethyst between March 24 and 27. She can be contacted on: jenny@jennypinto.com.

BHUMIKA K.

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