jiyoun kim translates a traditional korean expression into a cloudy lightning lamp

london design festival 2017: creative director and product designer jiyoun kim translates the old korean expression ‘being struck by a thunder out of blue sky’ into his latest project, the lightning lamp. the phrase describes people confronting unexpected catastrophic events and encompasses the message of overcoming challenges during the course of ones lifetime by changing their outlook.

kim‘s lightning lamp, delicately processed with stainless steel, draws light the moment the thunder strikes the ground. the neck of the lamp, or lightning, upholds the cloud structure made using glass that is enlarged using traditional blowing techniques. shown at london design festival 2017, it is available in four different colors, expressing the skies during different times of the day: daytime, early morning, midnight, and sunset. the gradient processing on the glasses masterfully amplifies the richness in colors we observe from the sky. 

the neck of the lamp, or lightning, upholds the bulbous cloud structure

the gradient processing on the glasses masterfully amplifies the richness in colors we observe from the sky

it is available in four different colors, drawing the skies during different times of the day

the day time

the early morning

the midnight

the sunset

concept drawing 

glass blowing techniques were used to create the lamp

kim’s process

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.

edited by: lynn chaya | designboom