About Dido designs and  caroline mansouri

Caroline Mansouri began working with artisans in Tunisia to create several of her designs in 2006.
Inspiration for her designs comes from the interaction of humans with the natural world: lights made by hand using methods and materials that have been around for thousands of years since man created simple tools and began hammering metal into useful and sometimes beautiful objects. 
  
Caroline's lighting business is called Dido Designs to recognise the skill of the Tunisian artisans who bring her creations to life through painstakingly handmaking every light piece. Her designs merge the simple lines typically found in the west with the intricate metal work of North Africa. Some of her designs such as the ''stellar'' and "sphere" are modifications of traditonal lights found in Tunisia. 

Download a Dido Designs brochure in PDF format here.


   
 Dido with Aeneus, Guerin (1744-1833)             Dido building Carthage, Turner (1755-1851)
     
Who is Dido?
Dido is the nickname for the widowed Phonecian Queen Elyssa who fled to North Africa in 14BC and established the powerful trading port of Carthage. As legend has it, when Dido arrived in North Africa, the locals told her that they would grant her the land that a bull's hide covered. Dido cleverly cut a hide into a very long narrow thread that encapsuled a site large enough to house her entourage.

She has been the subject and fed the fantasies of operas and numerous artists for the past thousand years. Dido is pictured above in a painting by Guerin (1744 - 1833) with her lover Aeneus, the Trojan hero and son of Anchises and Venus the Goddess of love. When Aeneus left Dido rather than live without him, she built a funeral pyre of all the gifts he had given her, stabbed herself to death with a sword he had left behind and threw herself into the flames.

           
      Dido with Aeneus sword, Saochi Anrea (1599-1661)                      Dido on her funeral pyre

Carthage was reknown for its sophisticated architecture and its splendour, during Dido's reign it lead the world in engineering, architecture and trade. Dido is famous amongst Tunisians to this day for her sophistication, passion, cleverness and courage in addition to establishing Carthage and presiding over one of the most powerful empires of its time. 
 
Tunisian artisan
Dido designs' lighting creations are made in a 300 year old factory in Tunisia. The artisans are all highly skilled in the traditional punctured metal work that has been made in North Africa for thousands of years. 

Every hole in the lighting is punched by hand with a hammer and punch creating ''the human effect'' of the lights.  Every light in the collection is unique varying slightly from other pieces made in the same style simply because they are all handmade. The initials for Dido designs or Caroline Mansouri can be found on all the lights. 




Watch this video to see the Tunisian artisans in action:

A handmade light that is also an art piece or sculpture 
The lights are designed to be visually pleasing and interesting both when the light is off and on. Many of the lights are designed to showcase the skills of the artisans who made them in addition to blending well with modern interiors found in the West. They are designed to be lights and contemporaneously art pieces. 

Where do the lights fit?
Dido Designs' lighting works perfectly in intimate settings such as at dinner parties or relaxing with friends where muted light filters and softens everyone and everything. The lights help create a romantic atmosphere. Perfect for loggias and outdoor rooms, dining or entertaining settings and of course bedrooms. Brass can be used both indoor and outdoor

Using environmentally responsible fluroescent globes can create soft and intimate lighting!:
Dido light shades have been designed to be lit with and soften the effect of fluroscent light.
Instead of using incandescent bulbs use energy efficient fluroescent bulbs.
60watt incandescent    =  12watt mini fluorescent bulb
40 watt incandescent   =   9 watt mini flurosecent bulb

Giving back
Dido Designs will apportion 5% of its profits to sponsor an annual scholarship for a young Tunisian to learn the traditional metal skills that are rapidly being lost in Tunisia as they have in the west. 


Reflections on light and objects made by artisans....

 a muted, speckled, softened light               
                                                            
                              late afternoon light shimmering, glistening through gum leaves

 
            the effect on the world around as a brilliant sun quietly slips below the horizon                
                                          
                                                                 flickering light shed by candles making everything,

everyone more mysterious and beautiful.



the inexplicable power of objects made by the hands of men,                                               

                                                unique and much loved that are difficult to discard.

                               subtle yet exotic becoming more interesting with every look,

the quiet character and strength of a timeless beauty.                           Caroline Mansouri



 In Montessar forest, Beja, Tunisia