Experimenting with Small-Scale Heat Bending Processes Using Black Bamboo
By | July 9, 2025 | Student Work -
Florian joined the Design and Carpentry workshop to conduct a series of experiments to explore the possibilities and limitations of heat bending bamboo. He did so using a single piece of black bamboo that he crafted into a lamp.
Hi, I’m Florian and I work at the Zurich University of the Arts. During the Bamboo U 11-Day course in June, I joined the Design and Carpentry workshop. Here, I did a series of experiments to explore the possibilities and limitations of heat bending bamboo. I finished by crafting a bamboo lamp from black bamboo as my final showcase piece.
During the joinery workshop early on in the course, I was very frustrated that I did not manage to complete a fish mouth joint. Therefore, I was therefore motivated to become better at using the mutik (Balinese bamboo carving knife). The inspiration for my project stemmed from an idea I brought to the course of a “bended joint.” I discovered later that this is used a lot in Japanese and Chinese carpentry.
The project then evolved to be a sculptural lamp. To create the piece, I used a black bamboo pole from the Dendrocalamus asper niger species, locally known as bambu petung hitam.
Related: The Process of Creating a Woven Bamboo and Rattan Lampshade
In a series of experiments, I figured out the optimal width and thickness of the bamboo for bending. I also experimented with computer-aided parameter workflows to speed up the “marking process” of where I was going to mark the bamboo in order to apply heat and bend it. This process was then used to craft the undulations and legs for my lamp.
Related: Crafting a Gorgeous Flexible Stool Out of Bamboo
From this process, there were three key takeaways for me. First, I realized that is really important to bend the bamboo towards the skin, so that it is on the inside of the bend. This delivers cleaner results than bending in the opposite direction. I also found that with clever placement of the “weak points,” you can have greater control over the bending. Finally, though I initially found using the mutik to be challenging to use, it is an amazingly versatile tool… once you know how to use it!
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