Dezeen Showroom: Hanghzhou design firm Mario Tsai Studio has created the Mazha Lighting System 5.0, a modular lighting system that can be extended without being restricted by the length of wires.

Mario Tsai Studio drew on scaffolding structures when designing the lighting system, which is one of five projects shortlisted in the lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

The name "Mazha" means a traditional Chinese foldable stool, a design that also informed the lighting system. The system allows users to create a diverse range of sizes and forms by using only three components: lighting tubes, metal poles and hanging wire.

Designed for low voltage to run through the lighting structure itself, the system works without individually wiring the tubes, as its exposed metal components are utilised as a part of the circuit.

Mazha Lighting System 5.0 – the latest version of the design, which was first launched in 2018 – is designed as a grid that connects the lighting tubes, which are diagonally inserted into the grid.

The grid structure can be extended "infinitely", the studio said, and more lighting tubes can be added to create a bigger structure that maintains its visual lightness. The modular design also means the system can be used to create a variety of different light structures.

The design also stems from Mario Tsai Studio's philosophy of subtraction — stripping off anything unnecessary in a design.

"It makes almost all of my work look clean and intuitive," studio founder Mario Tsai said.

According to Tsai, having a simple structure also results in low maintenance and adds to the longevity of the product.

In the Mazha Lighting System 5.0, the modular system allows all components of the lighting system to be replaced and reconfigured easily, which the studio says contributes to the sustainability of the product.

"Such design helps reduce the size of the packaging and the cost of shipping as well," Tsai added.

Alongside Mazha Lighting System 5.0, projects shortlisted in the lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2022 include a range of luminaires made of aluminium waste and handmade lights from split timber.

Product: Mazha Lighting System 5.0
Designer: Mario Tsai
Brand: Mario Tsai Studio

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