For Rodrigo Garcia, the founder of the Paris-based candle brand Amen, candlelight reminds him of the first home he ever lived in. “I come from a small town in Flores, Uruguay, and in the countryside there was no electricity until I was around 10 years old,” he says. Years later, while dining outdoors by candlelight one windy evening in Uruguay, Garcia and his partner, the sculptor Katharina Kaminski, were inspired to create a protective vessel for the flame. Amen’s Light Sculptures are the result of the pair’s creative collaboration, a series of cavernous earthen candles available in three of the brand’s signature scents, each with an intended effect: Vetiver is meant to be calming, sandalwood soothing and eucalyptus invigorating. The varying clay finishes of the pieces were inspired by Kaminski’s travels — her visits to the Moroccan desert and the volcanoes of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, led to the collection’s earthen palette of burnt umber, sandy beige and pale limestone. Like all of Amen’s offerings, these candles are made from natural, paraffin-free vegetal wax. Each Light Sculpture provides up to 1,200 hours of candlelight. Approximately $1,870, amencandles.com.
A Candle Maker and Sculptor Couple’s Luminous Collaboration
This week T Australia editors are coveting artful candles inspired by the Moroccan desert, the volcanoes of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands.
Left: the Amen Light Sculptures in Brown Clay and Sand Beige Clay. Right: the Light Sculptures on view alongside Kaminski’s Luminous Beings sculptures (back right) at her studio in Paris. Photographs courtesy of Amen. 