Nopales Isibani by Sebastian Morales and Tiri Kananuruk

Nopales Isibani by Sebastian Morales and Tiri Kananuruk is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Umklomelo Webhulonzi we-A' Design Award in Ubunjiniyela Competition Category.

IbhulonziUbunjiniyela· 2024

Nopales Isibani

by Sebastian Morales and Tiri Kananuruk

Client: Morakana

Umklomelo Webhulonzi we-A' Design Award Winner in Ubunjiniyela Category

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Colors

The Design

About Nopales Isibani

I-Nopales isibani esinamaqhekeza esithunyelwa siphetwe njenge-Bhodi Yesekethe Eprintiwe (PCB) futhi singahlukaniswa kalula libe izingcezu ngesandla. Izingcezu ezixhumanayo zibe sezichofoza ndawonye ukuze ziguquke zibe yi-cactus enhle ye-3D. Iphefumulelwe imvelo yaseMexico, lo mklamo omdlalayo ungakhiwa ngezindlela eziningi ezahlukene futhi ungakhula ngokuhlanganisa amakhadi amaningi. Le Nopal ayikhanyisi kuphela izindawo ngokukhanya okuthambile, kodwa futhi iyakha nobudlelwano bomuntu siqu, imema abasebenzisi ukuba babe abakhi ndawonye engadini yabo ekhanyayo.

The Recognition

About the Umklomelo Webhulonzi we-A' Design Award

Nopales Isibani iwinile uMklomelo Webhulonzi we-A' Design Award, ukwaziswa okuhloniphekile kakhulu okunikezwa imiklamo ephawulekayo eyehlukaniswa ukudala, ubuhlakani nobukhali bengqondo. Abawinile beBhulonzi yimisebenzi enobuchule obukhulu nedala ngokumangalisayo eqinisekisa isipiliyoni esibanzi, umcabango nobuhlakani babaklami babo. Nopales Isibani ilindeleke ukuba ibe yinto exatshwa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo, enobungcweti obuphawulekayo nezinto ezintsha. Lo mklamo owinile uMklomelo Webhulonzi we-A' Design Award uhlanganisa izindlela ezinhle kakhulu ebuciko, esayensi, ekuklameni nasebuchwepheshe futhi uhamba phambili ngenxa yokunaka kwawo imininingwane. Nopales Isibani iyanelisa izidingo ngokumangalisayo, ithinta izifiso, iheha imizwa futhi ikhanga ukufuna ukwazi.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Nopales is a modular lamp designed to be playfully assembled from a single Printed Circuit Board. Unlike typical PCBs that are flat and hidden inside enclosures, Nopales subverts this industrial nature to create a delightful object that is meant to be touched, bring joy, and evoke life into our spaces. It can ship flat as a postcard and can be hand assembled into your own nopal. Grow you cactus by combining cards.
Dimensions & Packaging: Variable dimensions
Flat: 84mmx125mmx5mm
Assembled: 50mm x50mm x100
Tags: PCB, Lamp, Nopales, Cactus, Modular, Mexico, Art, Garden
Production Technology: Printed Circuit Board, LEDs, Microcontroller, CR2032 Battery
Design Challenge: The project looks deceptively simple but a lot of research has gone into the interlocking connections. Even when PCB manufacturing is a mature industry, there is no way to connect two boards in the ways we were searching for. Current solutions require bulky mechanical components "connectors", or to be solder. We have tried multiple approaches and worked with the PCB manufacturer though iterations. Orienting components in different planes, plating surface edges, special routing, springs, and more.
Inspiration: Nopales was inspired by the landscapes of my Mexican upbringing and our passion for developing creative hardware. We wanted to reframe Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)s beyond their technical existence, to expose the material's beauty and transform it into something tactile, delightful and captivating. We spent months working with manufacturers to create a simple and efficient way to interlock the PCBs both mechanically and electrically. Nopales circuit is designed to shine for months or even years.
Project Duration: The project started early 2023 and exhibited at the HeadHi Lamp show in Brooklyn NY from March until July. A new updated version was shown at PioneerWorks Software For Artists Day in November.
Operation Flow: Nopales starts as a flat PCB that breaks apart by hand and can be interlocked into your own Nopal (cactus), then you can press the button to cycle though multiple brightness levels. It has an auto sleep timer to prevent draining the battery in case you forget to turn it off.
Team Members: Sebastian Morales
Tiri Kananuruk
Image Credits: MORAKANA LLC