Swedish brand Wästberg has stepped back in time during the Stockholm Furniture Fair, launching a collection of fire-based lighting by Ilse Crawford, David Chipperfield and Jasper Morrison.
Two oil lamps and a candlestick make up the Holocene collection, which eschews electricity to focus on light created through fire.
"It's a reminder that you should cherish fire as a light source," CEO and founder Magnus Wästberg told Dezeen. "Lighting today is all about technology – it's LEDs, it's electronics – but very seldom does it actually take the place a fire once held, because a fire was so much more."
"It scared animals away, it brought us together. Light had many more dimensions when it was just a fire."
Made from brass, the Holocene collection was created in collaboration with some of the most influential players in contemporary design. It features two oil lamps – a round-bottomed one by the designer Ilse Crawford and a cylindrical design by architect David Chipperfield that partially obscures its flame.
The third product is a candlestick holder by designer Jasper Morrison – a simple nub made to hold a single tall candle.
Wästberg intends to continue developing the collection, which will sit alongside the brand's electrical lighting lines. He hopes it encourages people to more consciously consider their lighting choices in various situations.
"It's a way of making people think about lighting, and which kind of lighting makes us feel good," he said.
The collection is named after the Holocene period, the geological epoch just before the current Anthropocene saw humans begin to impact the earth's ecosystems.
It recalls Wästberg's manifesto Lamps for Neanderthal Man, written at the time of the brand's launch nine years ago. In it, he explored humans' relationship with light throughout time, and argued that softer lighting would be good for human wellbeing.
The brand's recent products include the die-cast aluminium w162 Dalston lamp, modelled on lights in London warehouses, and the desk light w152, which powers mobile phones and other devices.
The Holocene range launched at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair, which began today and continues until 11 February 2017. Other products launched at the fair include Timo Niskanen's giant loop-shaped lamp and Claesson Koivisto Rune's latest Small Objects.