Futurelab’s collaboration with Elekit has resulted in CandleScape, a solar energy based creative kit where people can construct their own worlds inside this magical candle.
© 2013 Ars Electronica Futurelab & Elekit
After the so-called 3/11 in Japan, the requests for educational kits especially addressing the topic of energy have been on the rise. Focused on this demand, Elekit has already been a provider for ecological products, considering solar and new energies. Futurelab’s collaboration with Elekit, therefore, has resulted in Candlescape, a solar energy based creative kit where people can construct their own worlds inside this magical candle.
Previously, Switch has been studying the experience design by using the simple metaphor of “on” and “off”. CandleScape follows a similar fashion by providing two layers of canvas, which the participants in the workshop can use to bring their own worlds into. The two layers of rotating domes, along with the light options, create a platform for the expression of magical worlds inside the CandleScape. This product orientated creative platform has constituted the second intention of the collaboration.
Futurelab’s focus during the project is, in a wide sense, bringing the magic of Ars Electronica into an Elekit product. The first part of this magic, as the title suggests, is the candle: Creating a magical analogy for expressing an imaginary world. The second part is the participation of people: Constructing CandleScape and using various tools like cutters or printers to decorate it. This combination results in the exclusive form and structure of CandleScape, a representation of the unique flavor of Ars Electronica and its magical moment.
http://www.aec.at/futurelab/en/themen/creative-catalyst/candlescape/
CandleScape Workshop at Ars Electronica Festival 2013 | Total Recall
The first five prototypes were opened to public during the Ars Electronica Festival 2013. The attendees of the workshop tried various canvas templates, added something of their own, adjusted the light color, and built the lamp. Below you can see some results.
