Eoin Shanley

Copperfish

Lamp maker

©TogetherWeCreate

©Steve Humphries

©Eoin Shanley

Shining a light on reuse

Eoin's materials have a story
He uses reclaimed timber in his creations
He learned through hands-on experiences

Having started out as musician and actor, Eoin worked part time on building sites to fund his creative career. Over this time, he met many tradespeople and learned key skills. When renovating his own home, a traditional thatched cottage, he worked with a master joiner. This kickstarted his love for woodwork and appreciation of conservation and sustainability. He started to create lighting from what was to hand. This was the beginning of his brand Copperfish which produces contemporary lighting using glass, hemp and copper, alongside beautiful ancient timbers. Sustainability is key to his process, with all timber being reclaimed. Each piece of timber in a Copperfish light has a story.

Interview

©Eoin Shanley

©Eoin Shanley

Did you always make things?: When I played in bands, I would customise my clothes, my hair was always a different colour and I made buttons and badges for the band and sold them. When I had my own place, I converted an old television into a functional fish tank, complete with three very happy goldfish.
Where do you get your materials?: The timber I use has all lived a long life doing something else before I find it. I managed to track down timber that was laid in the Belfast docks in 1728, and also some of the jarrah railway sleepers that came to Ireland from Australia on Irish convict ships.
What are your sources of inspiration?: There is a thread of storytelling in everything that inspires me. I tend to listen to music a lot when I am working – Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Lou Reed – depending on the mood. I love artists such as Carel Weight and Marc Chagall who were beautiful storytellers.
What do people not normally know about your work?: Much of the wood we use arrives in bad condition but it has potential within. Timber cannot be used when its wet; in many cases it takes years of drying to get it dry enough to cut it. It is a very slow process but that is why the timber we use is so extraordinary.

Eoin Shanley is a rising star: he began his career in 2016