UDK’s Product Design Master Programme has teamed up with ERCO to explore future concepts for end-user specific lighting solutions.
‘Hands-on Light’ is showcasing 15 prototypes resulting from an experimental research process into the Alchemie of Light.
ERCO is not only a lighting manufacturer with a distinct heritage in design (with the likes of Otl Aicher and Franco Clivio involved), but also one of the few German companies that still research, design, develop and produce under the same roof. UDK Produkt Design MA students visited their headquarters to learn about the science of light. They saw manufacturing facilities and sat down with designers and developers. Being deeply rooted in technical architectural lighting, where light itself and spatial project requirements are key, we took a look at ERCO’s competence and took on a hands-on experimental approach to explore the magic of light.
How would an ERCO product look and feel like, intended for use in domestic or hospitality settings?
How can we enable object qualities to become the tangible layer to light in an otherwise increasingly abstract reality?
How can we think premium lighting becoming more sustainable, and what do we envision to be relevant topics to users in the future as such?
Can poetry and haptic experience play a role in the context of illuminating our spaces?
In this project we aim to explore opportunities for new concepts and innovation resulting in real life product proposals.
Hands-on Light is a student project supervised by Prof. Mathias Hahn, Justus Hilfenhaus and ERCO designer Holm Giessler
