Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Little Sun Diamond’ lamps bring light to remote locations

Olafur Eliasson, the Danish-Icelandic artist behind many striking installations, has unveiled a third design in his series of solar-powered mini lamps created for people without reliable access to energy.

Launched in 2012, the Little Sun lamp project already features two designs: the Little Sun, a toy-like yellow lamp, and the Little Sun Charger, a flat, blue lamp that doubles as a charger. His third design is dubbed the Little Sun Diamond, and has a faceted exterior that mimics a diamond form. All three lamps are pocket-sized.

The lamp can switch between two different types of light. One is a concentrated reading-style light, and another is "a magical, sparkling glow," which Eliasson described as a “party light” during his talk at the recent Design Indaba conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

This lamp produces four hours of light after five hours of charging in the sun. It’s designed for people in remote locations who do not have electricity and typically rely on hazardous kerosene lamps. With the Little Sun Diamond, Eliasson hopes that money spent on expensive petroleum can be directed toward other needs.

"[Because of Little Sun] $55 million was released for things other than petroleum," Eliasson tells Dezeen. "So this is such a small lamp. And yet it is the biggest project I've started on."

Via: Dezeen