Inspiring 互动式烛台 by Junqiang Lyu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 铁奖 in 家具设计 Competition Category.

铁家具· 2021

Inspiring 互动式烛台

by Junqiang Lyu

Client: Junqiang Lyu

A' Design Award 铁奖 Winner in 家具 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #124822

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Inspiring 互动式烛台

Inspiring 是一款可用于室内与户外的互动式烛台。两个单支烛托通过小磁铁吸附在U形铁质框架上，因此每个烛托都可沿框架任意位置摆放。使用者可自由编排组合，并随时变换布局。当蜡烛不使用时，烛托可收纳于底座内部，从而防止蜡烛挥发和污渍沾染。框架与底座以摩擦力相接合，可以分离，因此烛台可拆成两个紧凑的部件，便于露营携带。底座亦可单独作为烛台平台使用。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铁奖

Inspiring 互动式烛台是 A' Design Award 铁奖得主，这是授予满足人们对设计精良的创作所期待的专业与工业要求的优良设计的声望认可。铁奖得主展现出其创作者的高超技艺、高度专业化、专家级的理解力和创造能力。预计Inspiring 互动式烛台将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的创作，既实用又创新。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铁奖的设计整合了行业最佳实践，并拥有与专业知识和才华相结合的称职技术特性。Inspiring 互动式烛台因其严谨而受到尊重，旨在提供有助于让世界变得更美好的生活品质改善。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: 1.Compared with the static candlesticks matching small volume candle in the market, what distinguishes this product is that people can interact with it and arrange its state by their will which can inspire the user and bring funny experiences to the user. Single candle holder can stay stably and flexibly on the U-shaped iron frame with the magnets. User can decide any position of single candle holder on the U-shaped frame and participates into the cocreation of this changeable object which is like a dynamic and poetic picture.
2. When user don't use the candle, the single candle holder can be put into the base to protect the candle from volatilization or staining.
3.It's light and easy to be packaged into compact two pieces and taken outdoors for camping. The U-shaped frame and the base can be assembled together and disassembled repeatedly with the friction force. So it's portable and can adapt to multiple scenarios, the indoors and outdoors. And the base even can works independently as a candle platform to adapt to the uneven camping grass scenario.
Dimensions & Packaging: DIMENSIONS :
Width 100mm x Depth 100mm x Height 350mm

TECHNICAL PROPERTIES :
1. Magnets is used to hold and support the two single candle holders stably and flexibly on the U-shaped frame.
2. The U-shaped frame and the base can be assembled together and disassembled repeatly with the friction force
Tags: New candle ritual, New candlestick ritual, New candle holder ritual, Interactive candle holder , Portable candle holder, Interactive candlestick, Portable candlestick, Poetic candle holder, Poetic candlestick, Magnetic candlestick, Magnetic candle holder
Production Technology: Realization Technology :
Two small magnets are used as the technology behind to hold the single candle holder stably and flexibly on the U-shaped iron frame.
Material:
Consider the magnets principle behind ,I choose to use the iron sheet as the material of U-shaped frame and use the iron sheet bending as cost- saving manufacturing process. And I use the aluminum die-casting to make other components to make it light. So all the material can be recycled and reused.
Packaging:
The product can be disassembled and packaged into compact two pieces. So it's suitable for flat packaging which can save the transportation costs to the greatest extent.
Design Challenge: Challenge1: I need to find a wise way to make single candle holder as a flexible module that can stay stably and flexibly on the U-shaped iron frame. Finally I choose to use the small magnets to realize the idea and choose the iron sheet with big side area to make the connection stable.
Challenge2: In order to make it portable, I need to find a way to make two single candle holders fit nicely and aesthetically in the base and at the same time I need to make the single candle holders easy to be taken out of or put into the base.
Research: After marketing research and user research, I define the archetype as an interactive candle holder with scenario flexibility. Then Based on the modularity character of small volume candle , finally I conceive a “platform system” archetype that can gather and combine single candle block at your will ,while maintaining the indepence of each candle block. And then my design process is almost "designing through making". I built up many 1:1 tangible mockups to test the idea and I can get direct feedback from the processes. I tested many kinds of structure, many kinds of materials with different side area, different numbers of magnets , different proportions and details to build up the final product step by step.
Inspiration: The image of candlesticks matching this kind of small volume candle in the market is beautiful and static sculpture, I try to define a new archetype of candlestick that people can interact with it which can inspire people and change the relationship with human. And during development process , new insights are generated, not only do people have the needs of using the candle holder indoors ,they also need to use the candle holder for camping outdoors. Then I try to make it portable.
Project Duration: The project started in September 2020 in Rome and finished in March 2021 in Shanghai
Operation Flow: it's a totally new set of candlestick and candle rituals. Normally the single candle holder is stored in the base. When users need to use the candles, they would take the single candle holder out of the base at first. And users can arrange the two single candle holders on the U-shaped frame after lighting the candle and decide any position of single candle holder. When user finish using the candle, the single candle holder can be put back into the base to protect the candle from volatilization or staining. Users can hold the top cruve part of the frame and move the whole product to somewhere else. This is the candle rituals indoors normally.

And if users want to use the product outdoors, they can put the single candle holder in the base and disassemb the frame and the base to package it into compact two pieces and take it outdoors for camping. They can reassemble all the components of candlesticks for use after they arrive outdoors.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Junqiang Lyu, Inspiring, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Junqiang Lyu, Inspiring, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Junqiang Lyu, Inspiring, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Junqiang Lyu, Inspiring, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Junqiang Lyu, Inspiring, 2020