![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-4.jpg)
Desert Storm by Nir Meiri
Qubique 2011: Tel Aviv designer Nir Meiri uses desert sand to create these tactile moulded lights.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-10.jpg)
The shades are made by pouring sand into a glue-covered mould, creating a thin, rigid layer when the glue has set.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-9.jpg)
When the LED light source is turned on the grainy pattern is illuminated, casting a warm light and highlighting the raw nature of the material.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-5.jpg)
The form of the shade was designed to resemble primitive desert structures.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-1.jpg)
The lights can be produced in different configurations including floor-standing and tabletop versions.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-2.jpg)
Photography is by Shay ben efrayim.
Here is some more information from the designer:
This project is inspired by sand.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-7.jpg)
The shape of the sand-molded lamp shades brings to mind primitive dessert structures, while the fixture’s overall figure resembles that of plants that blossom in the Mediterranean seashore.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-6.jpg)
The use of sand as the main material plays on the tension between its wild nature – that of sand storms and vast desserts– and the delicacy of the molded end design.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-3.jpg)
Despite their apparent fragility, the bulbs are sturdy, and their strength partners with that of the fixture’s metal pole.
![Desert Storm by Nir Meiri Desert Storm by Nir Meiri](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/10/dezeen_Desert-Storm-by-Nir-Meiri-8.jpg)
Once the LED lamp is lit, it spreads a soft light, which accentuates the amorphous shapes still present on lamp shade’s surface, reminding us of the sand’s original untamed nature.