Trap Light

Preface

Artificial lighting accounts for nearly 20% of global electricity consumption, and during evening hours, a significant portion of this light is wasted due to inefficiencies and light pollution. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that at least 30% of outdoor lighting is wasted, amounting to $3.3 billion annually and resulting in the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. This project critically approaches energy consumption, posing a fundamental question: What if light could be recycled?

Concept

Trap Light proposes a radical new approach to lighting design. By utilising photoluminescent pigments to capture escaping light, Trap Light uses photoluminescence to convert waste energy into visible light. Using a traditional Murano glass blowing technique and by means of material experimentations in the furnace, photoluminescent mineral pigments could be embedded into the crystal body of the lamp. Through this process, Trap Light becomes both shade and light source, emitting, absorbing, and re-emitting light. Thirty minutes ‘charge’ of recycled light from an LED light bulb provides up to 8 hours of ambient lighting. With Trap Light, traditional production methods and experimentation on glass materials create a new lighting experience, while making the most of energy.

Design

Hand-blown Murano glass meets photoluminescent matter, through a traditional Venetian technique called “incamiciatura”. That way, two or more crystal layers ‘trap’ the pigment between each other, resulting in a surface that appears rough but is smooth, vivid and shiny. Colored steel metal cages provide a structure to the glass and the electric components.