Ali was born and raised in Iran and moved to Britain in 1988. Soon he realised 'In Britain they don't have much in the way of natural sunlight for quite a large part of the year so he figured- why not turn this negative into something positive. Rather than being very depressed about the gloom, he decided to try to design lights that would be a genuine source of amusement and fun.'
It all began with the dissertation for his MA in Industrial Design. By transforming every day objects into lighting fixtures he gave them a new and all together more entertaining lease of life.
'Contemporary lighting is continuously experimental in it's use of materials. Rather than looking for an attractive new form, he find it more interesting to look at what is already there and try to apply it in a different way. The result is that objects of everyday use, which we take for granted, are given a new look or purpose and possibly a longer life cycle. These products represent design not in the expected form of stylishness and smoothness but often with a sense of humour which brings these objects closer to the audience.