glass lamps shaped like soy sauce packets make a statement on single-use plastic
angus ware and jeffrey simpson created the 'light soy' lamps after eating sushi and realizing how much disposable plastic they had used.
after eating sushi and realizing how much disposable plastic they had used, australian designers angus ware and jeffrey simpson of heliograf created the ‘light soy’ lamps as a statement on the prevalence of single-use plastics. designed to be treasured not trashed, the glass lamps serve as a playful reminder for individuals and designers to act more sustainably.
first designed earlier this year, the range of mouth blown glass lamps has just received a prestigious good design award gold accolade in the good design awards 2020, in recognition of its outstanding design and innovation. light soy is available on the designboom shop.
light soy lamps
images courtesy of heliograf
like straws, coffee cups and plastic bags, billions of the little fish packets are used every year in sushi restaurants in japan, and other countries around the world, and they can’t be reused or recycled. they are destined to harm the environment and our oceans. ware and simpson both grew up on the coast of australia and thought it was a cruel irony that a plastic fish would harm marine life, and even potentially contaminate the food supply with microplastics. they conceived of a high quality, playful lamp that highlights the issue of single-use plastics, and acts as a positive reminder for individuals and designers to make better choices for the planet.
modular design system
‘by taking a piece of rubbish, and dramatically scaling it up, we want to show that small things matter, and we need to make big changes to how we design everyday items,’ says ware. ‘at every stage, from initial concept through to logistics, we have questioned how we can do better.’
light soy table lamp
light soy is made from premium materials chosen for durability, sustainability and recyclability, like glass and aluminium. the glass shade is mouth-blown borosilicate glass, and features a double-etched surface to replicate the surface finish of the little plastic fish that inspired the design. the product packaging is plastic-free and completely biodegradable, with upcycled sugarcane pulp used to protect the glass. each part of the design system has been carefully created to be easy to upgrade, repair and eventually separate and sort for recycling, so the product has the smallest footprint possible.
light soy pendant light
the lamps are available as a portable, table lamp configuration, with touch-control dimming and USB-C rechargeable 10 hour battery, or as a mains-powered pendant light, with a bespoke ceiling canopy fashioned from aluminium and inspired by soy sauce. the project has a real-world impact as well – as a member of 1% for the planet, the studio contributes one percent of revenue to nonprofits doing ocean cleanups and protecting marine life, and they have plans to incorporate reclaimed plastics into their future products.
video courtesy of heliograf
speaking about their recent good design award gold accolade, designer jeffrey simpson said, ‘we are honoured that our ideas are having an impression in the design community, and we look forward to continuing to explore how design can make a difference.’
the light soy range is inspired by sushi
the good design awards jury praised light soy, saying: ‘light soy is a nice, playful product with a sense of humor about the design. thoughtful use of materials and adaptability of design, with a cool social commentary and art.’
light soy
dr. brandon gien, CEO of good design australia said: ‘there’s no doubt it has been a really tough year for everyone so it’s nice to be able to share some good news for a change. the projects represented in this year’s good design awards shine a positive light on our creative and innovative capacity as human beings. these inspirational winning projects give me hope and optimism that our design community will continue to innovate, no matter how challenging the world around us is.’
pendant light
the light soy table lamp features an aluminium base inspired by soy sauce
the pendant light features a bespoke canopy shaped like a blob of soy sauce
project info:
project name: light soy
design: angus ware, jeffrey simpson of heliograf
light soy is available in the designboom shop
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
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