Yukiko Morita’s lampshades are designed to shed light not only on the area where they are placed, but on the serious issue of food waste. The Japanese artist has taken to turning croissants and baguettes into “Pampshades” that cost anywhere from $44 to $220 each. She buys unsold bread from affiliated bakeries and then turns them into various products, using every last bit of the bread. Morita was inspired when she worked part-time at a bakery as a student and noticed how much unsold bread was left over at the end of the day. One evening, she noticed that a piece of the leftover bread she brought home with her was illuminated by the sun after she scraped out the center of the bread and ate it. The beautifully glowing bread in the darkened room gave her an idea and the rest, as they say, is history. Customers are, however, warned that though Pampshades may look delicious they’re not edible, and there is the possibility of insect or rodent damage if the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal coating gets damaged.
