Daedalus (DAY-da-luhs) was a figure from Greek mythology – the father of Icarus, a skilful craftsman, architect, and artist.

Daedalus is said to have invented the axe, saw, plum-line, drill, glue, masts and sails, life-like statues that possessed self-motion and had to be bound by chains to keep them from wandering away, and... the Labyrinth.

There were many other deeds attributed to him, but the most well-known would be when he built the wings to enable himself and his son Icarus to escape from the Labyrinth (#complicated).

Not only did Daedalus collect the feathers and make the wings by repurposing found thread and regenerative beeswax and leather to hold everything together, but he understood what could go wrong both from flying too high (the sun would melt the wax, causing the wings to fall apart), and from flying too close to the ocean (sea foam would soak the wings, making them too heavy), and warned Icarus accordingly.

At Daedalic Lightworks, we believe that waste is not just a byproduct, but a failure of the imagination, and as a society we’re at the point where just like Daedalus, we need to be extremely inventive to get ourselves out of the situation into which we’ve got ourselves.

Our handmade pieces aren’t going to save the planet, but in addition to being objects of great beauty, by showcasing the potential of repurposed materials such as coffee grounds, oyster shells, grape skins, and regenerative/circular materials such as brass, copper, Harakeke, steel, timber, and wool, we hope to at least help make it a better place.