manual air pump inflates glowing bubble lighting series

Blow uses air-driven expansion and light to materialize emotion

Blow is an interactive lighting series that converts rising internal pressure into expanding forms and increasing luminosity. Through an air-pumping mechanism, users activate the inflation of a membrane contained within a rigid aluminum frame, making the tension between structure and material visibly and spatially present.

Designed by Jung Kiryeon, the series arises from an examination of anxiety generated within unfamiliar systems and reinforced by negative feedback. Instead of framing these conditions as something to avoid or suppress, the project studies their progression and translates them into a visual and spatial language. The work aims to represent an invisible emotional flow through light, volume, and material behavior.

lighting the lamp through the use of a hand pump | all images courtesy of Jung Kiryeon

Blow Translates Internal States into Light, Air, and Structure

Each piece, Blow 01 and Blow 02, is completed through user interaction. When the pump is engaged, internal air pressure expands the membrane while simultaneously increasing the intensity of the light. This synchronized response expresses the escalation of internal states through measurable physical change. The two models differ in scale, shifting from a table-sized format in Blow 01 to a floor-standing structure in Blow 02, allowing the installation to influence the surrounding environment at different spatial levels. A contrast between materials anchors the series: a sturdy cast aluminum frame contains a delicate, balloon-like membrane that expands outward under pressure. This pairing highlights the balance between rigidity and vulnerability, creating a system in which structural containment and material expansion operate simultaneously.

As a whole, the Blow series, created by designer Jung Kiryeon, explores how design can function as a medium for expressing and communicating emotional conditions. By giving tangible form to otherwise invisible states, the project positions design as a sensory language capable of linking internal experiences across users. It serves as a point of departure for further research into how emotional recognition and empathy can be supported through material and spatial interventions.

when the valve of the hand pump is released, the brightness gradually fades until the light turns off