Studio Samuel Tomatis

Studio Samuel Tomatis
Design
Research
About
Fanala
2025

The Fanala wall light draws on a traditional Malagasy craft: the making of Arendrina. These spherical lanterns, in the colours emblematic of the country, are made for the national day celebrated in June. This celebration commemorates Madagascar's independence, proclaimed in 1960 after the period of French colonisation. Displayed all over the city, these lanterns are a powerful symbol for the Malagasy people, carrying memory, pride and cultural identity. The lantern, ephemeral by nature, is reinterpreted here as a wall light, becoming an object for the domestic space. This transposition preserves the symbolic dimension of the original object while forming part of an environmentally conscious, innovation-driven approach. The paper used is made from invasive algae from Sainte-Marie. This raw material is processed and turned into a durable, aesthetically pleasing material.

Client Rubis Mécénat
Project Ndao Hanavao
Territory Madagascar
Materials Green seaweed, water hyacinth, cellulose
Manufacturer DIA
Assistant Thomas Guillard
Photos Marin Avram, Thomas Guillard, Némo Neo, Félix Marye, Samuel Tomatis
Seaweed paper wall light
A
Seaweed paper wall light
B
Magnetic fastening

C
Drying seaweed

D
Prototyping

E
Sheet production

F
Seaweed and hyacinth paper

G
Hyacinth paper

H
Seaweed paper

I
Display on galvanised sheet metal

J
Display on a fibre panel