Kawani

Pilar King - IED Madrid - Final Project

Academic year

2022

Lamp inspired by firefiles created with biomaterials from corn and coffee

Kawani is a lamp that pays homage to the Pipil indigenous culture, to the designer’s Salvadoran roots. Inspired by the mysticism of the legends and myths of these people, Its design is inspired by fireflies, a figure mentioned in Pipil stories. These are portrayed as allies of farmers who provided, with the help of their light, protection to their crops. 

The design share imitates the verticality of the beetle's body when it spreads its wings to fly, and borrows its mechanical characteristics. Its parts are mainly made with materials from the earth, with biomaterials generated from corn and coffee, two "fruits of the field" that are very present in Salvadoran agriculture and its oral tradition.

Kawani's true magic, just like fireflies, resides within. It generates its own light with the help of elements of nature. Its internal circuits absorb electricity from a natural reaction between the components of its battery: copper, magnesium and salt water.

Its light is activated only by the movement of the user's hand. It creates a link between them, making them allies, just like the fireflies of the indigenous Pipil people they watched over.