Lights for the blind are one design student’s innovative vision
December 10th, 2009
While studying a masters in Industrial Design in Milan, Sydney-based Rob Caslick was asked to submit an entry into a lighting competition run by the City of Milan.
A self-confessed “charity junkie”, Caslick set out to create ‘Lights for the blind’ – a lighting project “that actually helped people”.
After some research he came upon a statistic from the World Health Organisation estimating that 160 million people are diagnosed as blind and amongst them 90% have light perception.
“I went to the Blind Institute to check out a permanent exhibition that was basically a huge warehouse that had been completely blackened out. You get led around this warehouse by a blind person.”
“It was really amazing. You go to a cafe and get served a coffee (by a blind person), learn to cross the street, sit in a boat and go for a ride – all inside the warehouse and all the time being led by a blind person. Our guide was Silvia. She was an inspiration.”
Caslick set out to create Braille text using LEDs – the tips of which do not heat up, allowing the lights to be touched and read as Braille by those with little light perception.
“I found out that 30 blind people take the Metro to the Blind Institute daily. The panels run along the route they take.”
The concept was a winner and the exhibition currently runs the route between the courtyard of the Blind Institute and the nearest Metro Station and consists of 20 panels of quotes anecdotes and songs about lights and blindness, all written in Braille.
The exhibition runs from 6 December until 10 January 2010 as a part of the Milan Light Festival.
LED Exhibition
comune.milano.it/led
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, fjmt, has been awarded the International S-Lab design award at the International Teaching and Laboratory Design Awards.
Xchange presents a new range of office furniture inspired by the future of workplace ergonomics.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Overcoming pandemic hurdles to redefine guest experiences amidst Sydney’s bustling entertainment precinct, The Darling has undergone a two-year restoration that melds Art Deco interiors with the necessities of hotel living.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.