If you were at this year's Luminale, an architecture and design festival held in Frankfurt, Germany, you may have witnessed, first-hand, some of the most beautiful lighting fixtures we've ever seen. Studio Drift's exhibition was the first time they showed three major lighting concepts together – Flylight, Shylight and Fragile Future. You'll have to watch the video, below, to really appreciate how they've combined nature and technology to create something almost otherworldly.
Shylight is our favorite – it's a light hidden inside a cocoon. The lamp is inspired by the natural process by which flowers attract and repel pollen-gathering bees. Almost like the motion of jellyfish, the lamp ethereally drops down from the ceiling.
“It falls out of its cocoon?, opens its petals and floats down to show all its splendor. At the slightest danger Shylight flips up and retreats into its shell.”
How exactly does it work? According to Studio Drift, “Shylight unfolds its blossom by a systems of springs. The shade is made out of many layers of pure silk, kept apart by arms that connect to the springs. The silk is stitched in such a structure that it dances with every movement. Gravity lets Shylight slide down and a motor controls the upward movement. The brightness of the LED and the speed of the movement are fully programmable and can be controlled by iPhone or iPad.”
Now make sure to watch the video.
