julian melchiorri crafts 'exhale', a bionic chandelier with living microalgae

julian melchiorri presents ‘exhale’, the world’s first living bionic chandelier which purifies the air indoors. the piece explores how biotechnology and engineering can be applied to everyday objects, increasing the quality of our lives.

the living chandelier purifies the air through photosynthesis
all images © julian melchiorri

the chandelier purifies the air indoors as living microalgae enclosed in the leaf modules complete photosynthesis. ‘exhale’ continuously grows while performing biologically-driven, purifying functions. the light of the chandelier illuminates the space while stimulating the process of photosynthesis performed by tiny microalgae. the living microorganisms then absorb and feed on carbon dioxide while exhaling breathable oxygen into the room.

the metal structure is entirely hand-made

melchiorri‘s design creates a new symbiotic relationship between objects and people where life-giving resources are constantly exchanged. ‘this exchange recalls how biospheric systems work‘, explains the designer. ‘waste ultimately doesn’t exist but is a valuable resource for other elements in that system‘.

each structure holds a single leaf module of three different sizes

‘exhale’ is now part of the V&A permanent collection. the design follows melchiorri’s biomimicry approach of ‘forming through function’, while taking inspiration from nature and the V&A’s art-nouveau and islamic art collections. the metal structure is entirely hand-made: each element holds a single leaf module of three different sizes. the design repeats itself 70 times on a radial array, imitating the way in which plants and shells are shaped by nature. the bionic chandelier is connected to a life-support device, developed by arborea’s engineers, which nourishes and maintains the micro-organisms.

the design repeats itself 70 times on a radial array