CGD

The balance and harmony of light and darkness are of great importance for the human organism. Lack of one or the other affects the level of hormones in the body and the essential mechanisms that take place in it. Especially in winter months, when natural light is scarce, people can feel more tired and irritable. Often, this deficiency leads to conditions known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), depression, sleep disorders and other such problems. Designer Alena Konečná focused on improving these ailments in her diploma project. She drew on her own experience: she was hospitalized in the psychiatry ward during her studies at AAAD and the experience inspired her to focus on the benefits of the phototherapeutic treatment method and its connection to the design of everyday objects. Since the technology is mainly used to treat patients who cannot go out in the sun due to their condition, Konečná thought about its practical application. Eventually, she decided to incorporate the lamp directly into the bedside table, making it an object that is at once a functional storage space and a phototherapeutic lamp. Her diploma project Seeking Light is a medical aid, but it also has a practical function as a bedside table with an additional lamp. She consulted with phototherapy experts and psychiatrists in the development stage of the project and actively uses it herself for therapy. The top of the table can be taken off and used for therapy immediately after waking up in the comfort of one’s bed, as is often recommended by doctors for these types of problems or turned over and used as pleasant ambient lighting in the bedroom. The project can thus also be seen as a response to the issue of light hygiene, whose popularity has been growing over the past years. According to recent research, it is recommended to direct the light towards the floor in the evening with an added red light component for healthy sleep. Again, these options can be found in the Seeking Light's settings, including the possibility to adjust the chromaticity temperature and find the best position for the illuminated tabletop.

Eva Slunečková