Afterglow Studio

Call it industrial. Duchampian. Utilitarian. Whimsical. Whatever you want to call the work of Andy Schulman of Afterglow Studio, the one undeniable adjective is, “Illuminated.” At their most elemental, Andy’s pieces are functional lights; at their most metaphorical, they are testaments to bygone eras. The marvelous sculptures that come out of Afterglow Studio resonate with an audience that appreciates upcycled materials and reveres the inherent nostalgia Andy offers, usually with a sidecar of humor. Andy’s materials have been culled from years of crawling through old barns, combing flea markets and from dumpster diving. The shelves of his studio are lined with racks of yet-un-reused car parts, shoe forms, antique kitchen utensils, glassware, instruments and unidentifiable mechanical ephemera. To him, this collection of vintage cast offs are not obsolete items, but relics awaiting new lives as chandeliers and table lamps. He says, "I love and respect old things with history, character and that were built to last. They may be useless or dirty, but they shouldn't go in the garbage... I want to tell a new story with them." His small-scale and large-scale projects have infiltrated the design world as interest in recycled materials continues to grow.