Melbourne-based designer Dean Norton has created a therapy lamp to combat the stress and loneliness of life during lockdown, comprising frosted glass components that enclose a bulb chosen to mimic daylight.
Norton created the Daylight lamp for a virtual exhibition organised by creative collective alt.material for the National Gallery of Victoria, which invited designers to respond to the theme of Ingenuity.
The exhibition, held from 27 July to 27 August 2020, showcased work that was created by designers during the Covid-19 lockdown using only materials already available in their home or workspace.
The British-born designer's lamp, which features on the shortlist in the lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2021, responds to this time of uncertainty and isolation by focusing on issues associated with mental health.
"In an attempt to bring the outside into our homes during isolation, this piece has been designed to lift our well-being and boost our creative energy," Norton explained.
"At a heightened time of digital and virtual channels being used to stay connected, the natural response was to develop a piece that would be present, beautiful, and beneficial to our space of solitude."
The lamp comprises five pieces of frosted glass that Norton sourced from his own studio. The glass components are bonded together with clear resin to create a sculptural form around a bulb.
Two large glass circles are held together by narrower side pieces with flat edges. A final central element features a small hole that supports the bulb.
The 6,500-Kelvin full-spectrum bulb replicates the colour temperature of daylight, emitting a light that is used in phototherapy to combat depression caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight.
Norton experimented with several forms during the research and development phase, settling on a shape that makes the bulb appear to float in the centre of the circle.
The combination of forms and material results in a sculptural object that is designed to look good even when not in use. The minimal design is also unobtrusive so that it can blend in with a wide range of interiors.
"I wanted Daylight to feel like a piece of art when not being used as a therapy lamp," Norton said.
"As well as the aesthetic achievements, this piece also draws in the viewer, challenging their perception of light and its benefits beyond the illumination of the surrounding environment."
Other shortlisted projects in the lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2021 include a solar lamp that generates its own energy when hung in front of a window, and a pendant light consisting of a blown-glass tube that balloons out into a bulbous form at its centre.