Breeze is a lamp that uses natural ways of lighting and extinguishing fire to create a neo-analog and gesture experience. Blowing can be used to both to set and terminate natural fires, and a fires can be passed from one spot to another. Using digital technologies, these elemental procedures are mimicked, and bodily interaction stimulates light.

Design Team

Xinyue Yang

supervised by Prof. Carola Zwick

technical support: Diplom des Felix Groll

Breeze is inspired by the experience of naturally generated light, having its origins in the taming of fire. Three procedures in handling fire are transferred into the lamp. In order to set a fire, air must flow—when you slightly blow towards it, the fire then gets brighter and stronger. In the case of a candle, however, blowing is used to extinguish the flame. The third procedure consists in the way a light can be passed from one torch to another, with just a slight touch.

Breeze takes 'blowing' as an input, using a microphone to detect if there's a change of the air flow. With a soft blowing, the lamp will get slightly brighter. A strong blow will switch off the light. Just like a torch, the lamp is portable and can light up another lamp when they get close to each other, inspired by the ritual of Olympian Fire. The input for this action comes from a hall sensor, which can detect the inbuilt magnet of the other lamp.

You can use and move the lamp wherever you want, however as the handle is like a thin stick, it cannot stand by itself. I envision users to mount it, according to varying situations, in a personal and inventive way. When it is used outside, for example in a garden, the natural wind takes over, and a new interaction begins.

Watch a video of Breeze in action here.

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