In addition to my architectural practice I enjoy creating art pieces and lighting. My main tool is the computer - I enjoy the ability to generate large amounts of complex parts that can be precisely fabricated by laser cutter or CNC router and then fixed together by simple mechanical fasteners. I often use translucent materials to build layers of color and transparency that change depending on how the piece is lit or how closely it is viewed.
Some of these projects are for clients, some are student work, and some are simply done for fun.
The Portable Lab is a science outreach installation at ArtPrize 2015, though it is designed to be moved anywhere. It is a collaboration with the Cognitive Science Dept. at Michigan State University. The Lab is a steel kiosk that houses an iPad, on which participants can engage in a scientific experiment on timing and perception, which operates like an aural version of the game "telephone." This experiment collects real data and transfers it to the Cloud, where participants can go online to see their data in a broader context and learn about the science behind it all.
My role on this project was to design and build the kiosk, which includes the design of all the physical elements and the fabrication of the signage and computer terminal. Thanks to Robotodd Industries for steel fab.
Official website: www.kimboluti.com/artprize
I made these lamps for Tomukun Korean Barbeque in Ann Arbor MI, while working on the design of the restaurant as part of OX Studio. The owner wanted to foster an urban atmosphere and tap into the traditional customs of eating barbeque, so I designed and fabricated these steel versions of paper lanterns for the restaurant. In all there are 50 lamps. The writing on most of the lamps is the name of the restaurant, while the other lamps show the names of people important to the owner.
The first prototype was rough, made on a plasma cutter at a local workshop (Maker-Works, in Ann Arbor), but the finished products were laser-cut mild steel. There is an inner layer of acrylic to diffuse the light, and a layer of steel on the outusde to provide the look and the contrast. Other than the physical laser-cutting of the steel (from my files), all work was done personally, from assembling the lighting sockets to treating the steel, partly at Maker-Works and the partly in my basement workshop.
This chandelier was designed as the centerpiece for a wedding reception. Built onto an existing on-site fixture, it was made of 50 individual lanterns that were given away as favors at the end of the night. The lanterns themselves are each unique and individually illuminated, and they can be easily disassembled and boxed for transporation home.
An entry in ArtPrize 2012, Plsatic Landscape is a simple design given complexity by its many layers. Multicolored acrylic is tied together with small plastic clips, giving a sense of depth and interest through its iterative materials.
Before I became an architect, I was focused on metalsmithing and silversmithing at Carleton College. From my experiences working onboard a sailing vessel I became interested in rope and line. I translated that interest to metals, creating multi-threaded rope out of silver thread and constructing complex geometric shapes held together only by knots.
One of my first student projects at Washington University in St. Louis, the cube lamp is still one of my favorites. Built out of laser-cut polystyrene, the lamp itself is an exercise in discordant forms, the round squiggles forced into the shape of a squared-edge cube.