Winners of Natural Light

The winners of the international design competition Natural Light presented the first prototype of a solar lamp. 14,500 editions of this lamp will be distributed in Africa in the beginning of next year. The two winners Mariana Arando (22) and Luca Fondello (23) both industrial design students at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. They presented their design project at the 6th VELUX Daylight Symposium in London together with artist Olafur Eliasson, who is also co-founder of Little Sun and was chairman of the jury in the competition.

When asked about what inspired the two students to design the solar lamp the winners said:  “We have thought about the role of light throughout the human history. People met around the flames of a bonfire, in the sun, or some other type of light. For us, it was very important to visualize the idea of light being something that brings people together. Joining moments where people talk about the day and spend time with friends and family. The idea of light being an element that unifies people was the fundament for our design concept. With this solar lamp every member of the family can bring his or her own light home”, Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello explained.

The chairman of the jury in the Natural Light – International Design Competition was very impressed by the creativity, innovation and thoughtfulness of the winning design: “Providing access to light is not only about answering a functional need. It is also about understanding the intimate link between energy and our aspirations, our common global desire for happiness. I strongly believe that these two aspects of design must always be seen as one. The winning design addresses both and it understands that holding energy in your hand makes you feel empowered. This design is empowering,” said artist Olafur Eliasson, founder of Little Sun and chairman of the Natural Light jury.

(Featured Image: Artist, founder of Little Sun and chairman of the Natural Light jury – Olaur Eliasson and the winners of the Natural Light-International Design Competition presented the project and the winning solar lamp at the Daylight Symposium in London.)