Flip a switch, get a light. This basic premise operates any lighting fixture no matter how modern its design. But the Tangent Lamp offers a playful approach into this method. Instead of the usual power button, it utilizes a magnetic connection activated by a gentle touch of the hand.
A magnetic sphere, a block of oxidized steel, and a light filament. All three components work together to create an artistic and interactive light display. A magnetic connection between ball and steel creates a single point of contact that allows electric current to flow and light up the filament.
It all happens through the tangent, hence the lamp’s name. The user sets up the mood and transforms the lamp with every interaction. The magnetic sphere connects to any part of the steel block and the moment it detaches from this connection, the lamp powers off.
The Tangent Lamp is created by RELVĀOKELLERMANN through their experimental RK Lab. Its mechanism questions pre-conceived notions of how a lighting object is supposed to work. As RK Lab describes it, the object “investigates the relationship between experience, technology and the purpose of light itself.”
Its design turns the simple act of switching on a light into a moment of interactive play that changes the lamp’s posture and mood. It responds to human touch, making the user an active participant in shaping its silhouette.
Users shape, mold, and transform the lamp with each different placement of the magnetic sphere. RK Lab says Tangent Lamp “highlights how a simple tangent connection can create both functionality and a new way of experiencing an everyday object.”
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Images courtesy of RELVĀOKELLERMANN
