The Vessels collection marks a surprising and heartfelt shift in the work of Nader Gammas. Known for pieces shaped by brutalist structure, he steps into a gentler world with this new series. What unfolds is a story of sculptural lights that look less like manufactured objects and more like living forms caught in a quiet moment of growth.
At the core of Vessels is a deep fascination with cup fungi, a diverse group of organisms that bloom in clusters and ripple with intricate rim shapes. Their natural gestures influence everything from the silhouettes to the way each piece holds and releases light. The collection embraces these organic cues instead of the sharp edges and heavy brass that usually anchor Gammas’ work. Here, the focus leans toward fluid lines and gentle transitions, celebrating nature’s own sculptural language.
Each piece is shaped by hand, without the use of moulds, making no two vessels alike. Crafted in ceramic with accents of brass, they create a sensual dance of light and shadow, almost as if the glow is breathing through the surface. This handmade quality reinforces the idea that these lights are not just fixtures, but individual characters with their own identities.
This shift toward organic expression still connects directly to Gammas’ belief that lighting is fundamental to how people feel in a space. His journey began long before he called himself a designer. Growing up in the United States with Syrian roots, he was drawn to how form and functionality coexist. That early curiosity carried him through a B.Sc. in Architecture at University of Jordan and later into an MFA in Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design, where he refined the technical side of his craft.
Today, his work’s exclusive representation at STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN has placed him firmly on the global design stage. Yet Vessels feels personal, almost like a return to instinct. It merges the raw beauty of nature with the precision of contemporary artistry, allowing each light to act as both illumination and sculpture. Every vessel tells a story, not only of fungi and form, but of a designer learning to follow a quieter, more intuitive kind of inspiration.
In the end, Vessels is a lighting series that combines handmade craft, ceramic and brass materials, and natural inspiration to create unique sculptural pieces that influence how light interacts with a space.