about us

We, Yael Erel and Avner Ben Natan, are a collaborating couple and founders of Lightexture. We work together, as an architect and a lighting designer, to explore light through the construction of unique designer lamps, which adjust through time, and draw light and texture in space. Coming from two different disciplines we explore this field together with different sensibilities and skills. In our light construction we incorporate ready-made objects, lighting components and constructed elements. The lamps are fitted and assembled by hand in our studio. We collaborate with Ceramic artist Sharan Elran in design, development and construction of our ceramic Claylight™ and Earthlight™ series. One of our goals is to create energy efficient fixtures, while maintaining our focus on their atmospheric and spatial performance.

Yael Erel, RA

Yael Erel is a registered architect, graduated with honors from The Cooper Union School of Architecture where she received the Irma Giustino Weiss Prize for creative achievement. Before co-founding New York based YEStudio with lighting designer Avner Ben Natan, she worked for the award-winning firm Diane Lewis Architect and ROART Inc. Erel Completed architectural projects both in Israel and NYC, and together with lighting designer Avner Ben Natan has been developing light fixtures and installations. Erel was a visiting architecture design critic at Harvard GSD, she has taught Architecture Design Studio at Columbia University and The Cooper Union, and has been teaching Architecture design at Pratt institute since 2004, where received a faculty development grant to develop environmental lighting fixtures. Her work has been exhibited at the Krakow Biennial, Pratt Institute Gallery and other NYC galleries. She has lectured at The Bronfman Center and The City College School of Architecture among others.

Avner Ben Natan

Avner Ben Natan is a lighting designer. Prior to moving to New York City in 2006 and co-founding lightexture™ with architect Yael Erel, he has been a lighting designer for Film and TV in Israel 1992-2006. In lightexture™ Ben Natan has been designing and building lighting fixtures and environments for art and dance installations, residential and commercial projects.

He has also been occupied with writing Hebrew poetry and prose since the early nineties. In recent years, after completing a collection of short stories, Ben Natan has started to compose and sing his own poetry. He studied in Alon film school and also in Tel Aviv University and received a BA in Sociology and Anthropology

Hebrew poetry and prose stories can be read in: http://stage.co.il/Authors/AvnerBenNatan

Songs, written and composed by Avner and sung by Yael and Avner with the help of a few talented musicians can be heard at Avner's MySpace page

Sharan Elran

Sharan Elran is a ceramic artist. Sharan studied ceramic art in the Givat Haviva art School in Israel where he focused on “primitive” wood firing techniques. After moving to NYC in 2008 he began searching for ways to create urban ceramics using the electric kiln and wheel. In his studio in midtown Manhattan he creates pottery, light fixtures and sculptural objects.

“In my work I attempt to expose the physicality of the clay and light, and to bring these two contrasting qualities into a harmonious balance. I'm exploring ways to relate the old craft of pottery-making to my contemporary urban surrounding. It is not merely a process of artmaking, but also of finding my own peace of mind within the extremely intense city I live in..."
Sharan holds a B.Sc in physics and computer science, and has been strongly influenced by the Indian master Osho and his practice of meditation.