The power of craftsmanship has touched every aspect of design since the dawn of time. At Harvard Graduate School of Designstudents Annie Xing, Luke Fiorante, Joseph Fujinamiand Chi Zhang explore the logic of hand-crafting—and whether robotic mannerisms can learn these distinctly human gestures. A portmanteau of two Japanese words — “hikari,” meaning light, and “kirigami,” the art of cutting and folding a single sheet into three-dimensional form —Hikarigami explores the intersection of digital code and physical force.
What begins as a flat sheet of aluminum evolves into a volumetric luminaire consisting of six shaped panels, each contributing to a dynamic light field. A function of both process and progress, the material is first laser-cut with a variable mesh pattern derived from computer simulations, then shaped via robotic incremental shaping – transforming the plane in space without the use of molds or conventional tools.
Like chainmail, each pattern follows a continuous logic, yet no two are alike. The mesh varies in density and geometry, guiding how the aluminum bends, resists and ultimately refracts light. The result is a porous surface that refracts light, where structure, texture and illumination emerge simultaneously from a single act of construction.
A robotic arm—an ABB industrial model driven by Grasshopper and custom toolpath scripts—presses the metal sheet with sub-millimeter precision, forming each panel point by point. This process, known as single-point incremental configuration, is borrowed from the aerospace and automotive industries, but repurposed here as a tool for design exploration. Each distortion is intentional yet responsive, producing subtle variations that make each painting—and each light projection—distinct.
Seemingly similar but with a modality of its own, Hikarigami’s magic comes from within. When illuminated, the six panels act as both diffuser and lens, emitting caustic patterns of light that shift across walls and floors. Experience is neither static nor unique. it evolves with movement, angle and proximity, sometimes dissolving into atmosphere and other times revealing a dense, almost textile surface language.
The raw, unfinished aluminum bears the marks of its own creation—subtle irregularities, directional grains, and residual stresses left behind by the robotic tool. These are not imperfections, but a visible record of the process, allowing the object to carry its own romantic narrative of creation. Over time, the material will continue to change, taking on a patina shaped by use and environment.
The Harvard graduate team includes: Annie Xing, who leads computational design and manufacturing; Luke Fiorante, who specialized in robotic manufacturing and tool programming. Joseph Fujinami, who led the construction and structural assembly. and Chi Zhang, who contributed to the robotic construction. Completed in 2025, the project delineates a new paradigm of manufacturing — one where craftsmanship and automation are partners, and where variability and precision coexist in the same material language.
To learn more about the Hikarigami lamp, please visit lukefiorante.com.
Photo by Annie Xing, Luke Fiorante, Joseph Fujinami and Chi Zhang.
