Books have it that a “spark” is defined as a “glowing or fiery particle thrown off,” coming from Old English etymology. In the electrical sense where the word is associated with wirings and weldings, it can actually be traced back to 1748.
Perhaps people picked up on the dazzling visual of a single fiery spark and began using it in the figurative sense eventually. Since 1941, “spark” started being used in American idioms like “create a spark” or “spark up something,” phrases that describe something or someone as an “initiating or driving force in some activity.”
“Spark”
Photo taken by The Jumpcat Experiment Inc. for the Design Center of the Philippines “Material Matters” Sourcebook
Taken at a metal work shop in Bicutan last January 23, 2014
I guess we were dazzled in the same way when we saw this spark of fiery particles being thrown off a piece of metal in that Bicutan workshop, when we were trying to capture defining shots of materials being crafted to become a new magnificent piece of furniture. Or really, deep inside, we wanted to spark up something new. Whatever it is, it was great to have marked that day with this photo. JLF
The Jumpcat Experiment 