Melbourne’s master of heart-stopping pendants and spectacular chandeliers announces the launch of the ASTERIX family of lights

Christopher Boots recently wowed Australia’s Nine Network audiences as a lighting judge on the highly popular TV show, The Block, where couples compete to renovate houses and sell them at auction. All of a sudden his website was receiving 600 unique visitors an hour, and Boots had become a household name. Inspired to ‘Make Light Democratic’, Boots and his team immediately set up a temporary Pop Up online shop available to Australians for the month of February to coincide with the episode of The Block, which was filmed in his studio. Normally quietly ensconced in the atmospheric studio in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Boots has been noted by design lovers in the USA, Italy, South Africa and Europe for the integrity and artistry of his architectural lighting. Raw materials such as bronze and steel are offset with environmentally sensitive LED lamps. References to classical myth, geometry, botany and zoology are recurring themes in pieces such as Phasmida, ORP and Prometheus, which Boots has photographed in highly complex sets that breathe with drama and mysterious narratives. Now with the Asterix family, Boots explores four geometric elements that assemble together to form a familiar geometric 3D Symbol. Unix, Triptyx, Quadrix, Parallelogram and Asterix are the five pendants, beginning with the most simple and growing to increasingly complex geometrical forms. Sleek and angular brass shapes are inlaid with LED, to create glowing and highly decorative sculptural pieces. “In my mind there’s a dialogue here, between the art-deco aesthetic and the rise of fascism, and I’ll be exploring that for some time” Boots said. Last year Boots launched his products in high-end design stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and at Fiona Barratt in London’s Pimlico Road. He was also honoured by the choice of his ORP (Oblique Rhombic Prism) pendant for the permanent collection of the distinguished National Gallery of Victoria, founded in 1861. 2014 looks set to be even an more dynamic year for the talented designer, as he launches his collection of sophisticated luminaires in select design stores in South East Asia - with Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong highest on the list. “I am so happy with the way things are going,” said the affable Boots. “Creating these pieces is super satisfying, yet I’m aware that I have to pay attention to the business side too. That seems to be flourishing, so it allows me more freedom to create. One good turn deserves another.” Source: Christopher Boots Photography: Christine Francis Visit the Christopher Boots website