Trace

Preface

Trace reinterprets the concept proposed with Trap Light, focusing on the use of photoluminescent minerals combined with support materials capable of recycling outdoor light sources. With Trace, the emphasis shifts to harnessing solar energy and exploring its accumulation and reuse in different forms during night hours.

Concept

The project abandons the use of glass to engage with a novel material and design process. Using photoluminescent pigments in combination with silicon and silicon rubber, hand-made photoluminescent skins are produced to convert the unseen spectrum of sun energy into visible light. As darkness descends, a ghostly light trace is revealed as the concentration of photoluminescent minerals radiates recycled light energy in the form of an intense ambient glow. Trace invites a reflection on innovative approaches to illuminating outdoor spaces, considering how the environment can take new forms and materialities in the dark. The project wants to question urban lighting design, asking whether public spaces necessarily need high energy volumes to be managed over night.

Design

The lights feature a silicon ‘skin’ adhering to an inner chromed steel skeleton, which stretches them into place, defining their shape and giving them a light, airy appearance. The skins come in 3 diameters: Trace S (29 cm), Trace M (70 cm), Trace L (150 cm). The first two sizes are charged either by the provided LED bulb or natural solar energy. Trace L instead just harnesses the natural power of sun rays and that of any light in close proximity, shunning the use of electricity altogether to creating an intense ambient glow.