A 3rd year Industrial Design lighting project inspired by the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. The lamp tries to capture the engrossing depth and shallow body that the Midway geyser possesses. Table and Lamp modelled in Inventor.
The seed idea for this project came from the university's partnership with Luminis. Our task as Industrial Design students was to create a new lighting fixture based around a series of LEDs. My goal with the design was to recreate the sense of depth and fixation one gets from gazing into a pool of water or freshly opened can of paint. Phrased poetically, I wanted it to be like, "Looking into a sea of colour."
Most of the initial ideations for these projects were form studies. After much ideation, I came across my inspiration after I glanced at an open paint can, reminding me of the multicoloured pools near geysers in protected national parks such as Yellowstone. The form of the glass alludes to the form of a water surface gently rippling. The shape lent itself well to be used as a table or office lamp.
After the model was complete, test renders were done to test the possibilities and emotional impact of different colour combinations of reflectors, exterior casing, and glass. A neutral tone was settled on for a more subtle style, but the design could be offered in a variety of colours as the housing and lenses are interchangeable.
To achieve its depth, a ring of smooth LEDs shines into a thick piece of clear molded optical plastic, formed to emit light as it curves past the point of refraction. Above the glass is a mirror- finish reflector to catch and direct light emitted upwards from the lens and LEDs down to the user. Everything was modelled in Autodesk Inventor and rendered in Keyshot.
As part of the project, we had to choose materials and production methods appropriate for the design. For Midway, the structural frame has a large & moderately complex shape, making a metal alloy (e.g. aluminium/magnesium alloy) an appropriate choice for casting. Polypropylene was chosen for the ability to take self-tapping screws and various surface finishes. For the reflector, the ability to keep its shape consistently without warping was important, which would be good in polycarbonate. The lens are a vacuum-formed acrylic, great for its visual clarity and relative lightness in comparison to glass, particularly for its size and thickness. Standard screws hold the sandwich of parts together, allowing for easy repairs and assembly.
