Focusing on light, designers combine novel aesthetics with practical mechanics

EINDHOVEN – Light is a subject of investigation for young designers who enjoy exploring the distinction between the functional and aesthetic qualities of luminous objects. In many of their works, mechanics are a defining aspect, enabling the creation of intriguing effects with high optical impact and often adding to the appearance of the lamp in question. Intended as more than a light source, these luminaires are both sculptural and functional.

Highlighting Flux, Onno Adriaanse’s contribution to the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show, are two perforated-metal discs positioned close together and mechanically rotated. When light shines through the discs, a fascinating moiré effect appears on the wall or surface at which Flux is aimed.

Moon, a topographically accurate scale model of the lunar globe, is the work of Oscar Lhermitte and Kudu. Acting as the sun, a ring of LED lights rotates around the orb, producing a mysterious glow of ambient light. When in the ‘live’ mode, the light follows the actual position of the moon, thanks to a computer embedded in the base.

Photos courtesy of Sidekick Creatives Ltd

Takt Project unveils the aesthetic properties of electrical parts with the team’s Composition series. By exposing wires, resistors, transistors and diodes – making them features in their own right – the designers came up with ‘pure objects that seem to rise from the materials’. Suspended in clear acrylic resin, typically used to coat a circuit board, the various components form a random and pleasingly eye-catching arrangement.

Photo Masayuki Hayashi   

These projects feature in Frame 113. Find your copy in the Frame Store.