BlueDot is a design competition for students. I have taken the elective course 'BlueDot' during which the goal was to design a consumer product that is easy to manufacture and does not require (complex) electric parts. The theme of the contest in the year 2022 was wabi-sabi.
Keywords Product design
Lighting design
Sustainable design
CONCEPT
Plasticity is inspired by the little moments of wonder you have throughout the day when something unexpected, yet mesmerizing, catches your glance. Like the rays of sun showing from underneath the curtains, or a bright light refraction passing through your room. In the wabi-sabi philosophy these little moments of wonder connect with the Japanese term Datsuzoku, which means 'a break from the daily routine & the conventional way of life'.
Plasticity is a dynamic lamp that changes its appearance throughout the day by rotating three different colored transparent discs. Every time you take a look at the lamp it will emit a different pattern depending on how the colored elements are interacting with one another.
Apart from energy efficient LED panels the structure does not require other electricity and is made from recycled materials. The dynamic qualities are achieved through a gear box mechanism.
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Material research
Wabi-sabi originally is associated with beautiful natural elements, however, through my project I wanted to bring out the beauty of imperfections of recycled plastics and show how plastics could be used to create beautiful light effects.
The project took place during the Covid restrictions so I had limited options when it came to prototyping. However I improvised and set up my own plastic recycling workshop at home.
Prototyping
The most challenging part of this project for me was the dynamic behavior of the lamp. I made lots of prototypes to simulate the gear box mechanism and understand how exactly to assemble my design.
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