Gallery: SonUmbra Solar Powered Tree L...

As advancements in lighting technology unveil fresh materials, we’re thrilled to see designers exploring new ways to light up the night. SonUmbra is a solar-powered tree composed of strands of light-emitting fabric woven into a lucent web of branches. The installation’s canopy of photovoltaic panels captures light during the day, and once the sun sets the tree blooms in an interactive flourish of light and sound.

We were thrilled to catch a glimpse of SonUmbra at this year’s London Design Festival, where its beautiful glow signaled a bright future for energy-efficient lighting. Designed by Loop.pH, the “sonic shade of light” is intended to be “planted” in remote areas, where it offers shelter from the sun by day and serves as a gathering place for the local community at night.

The installation is constructed from a light emitting fabric that is crafted into a lattice of electroluminescent fibers. As passerby move around the solar tree, the installation strikes up an interplay of light and sound that encourages interaction. According to loop.PH, “This latticed pattern is animated in concert with the generated surround sound and visually illustrates the visitors’ position within the constellation. Wandering unaware or actively gravitating towards Sonumbra each person plays a part and becomes a note in a unique composition of light, sound and space.”

+ SonUmbra

+ London Design Festival 2009 Coverage

Lead photo by Antonia Halse for Inhabitat