Japanese lighting brand Ambientec explores the movement of light with Hymn

Ambientec recently presented the Hymn nomadic lamp at Supersalone in Milan from 5 to 10 September 2021. Intimate and joyful, the candle-like new light of Hymn is a captivating sight. A contemporary interpretation of a traditional chamberstick candle holder, the new portable lamp designed by Hiroto Yoshizoe for Ambientec brings the charm of an antique heirloom into the world of modern light design.

The original idea for Hymn came to the Japanese designer in a rather unusual moment. “I was visiting an ancient church in Florence. Suddenly, in a chapel illuminated by a thin beam of natural light from outdoors, I was captivated by a single luminous spot floating in space. The magic of that one candle casting its light all around is exactly what, together with Ambientec, we have managed to capture in the design of Hymn,” explains designer Hiroto Yoshizoe.

This new project comes from the fortuitous meeting of Ambientec’s spirit of curious exploration and the young Japanese designer’s inspiration. Fascinated by the motion of light, Ambientec’s visionary founder and CEO Yoshinori Kuno was struck by Hiroto Yoshizoe’s prototype on display at the 2019 SaloneSatellite in Milan: its most interesting feature was its ability to translate the hypnotic dynamism of a candle flame into a luminous modern design object. “Hymn avoids being a slavish imitation of a flame,” says Ambientec CEO Yoshinori Kuno. “Beginning with Hiroto Yoshizoe’s inspired idea and respecting its originality, we chose not to fall into the trap of a realistic, didactic effect. Rather, we aimed to create a new concept of intimate, moving light by combining LED technology, magnets and lens in an unexpected way,’ he adds.

The development of the patent-pending project took two years of research and development. As in all its lamps, Ambientec combines poetic design, LED technology and high jewellery workmanship: a distinctive element of Hymn is the pendulum lens in movement thanks to the repulsive force of magnets.

Hiroto Yoshizoe has designed Hymn as an essential, extremely modern candle holder, with a base and handle made of anodized aluminium in gold/black finishing. A small lens in transparent acrylic material lies on a thin metal holder: a kind of luminous pendulum, ready to sway and rotate. When switched on, the electric current activates two magnets which, with their invisible force, brings movement to the pendulum lens. These tiny, constant oscillations, following a vibrant and unpredictable rhythm, along with the refraction of the 2000K LED light by the lens, create the delicate and warm glow of a real candle. When switched off, the lamp releases one last glow like a real candle, before extinguishing completely.

The finishing touch is a removable, transparent glass cap, which highlights the lamp’s sparkling play of reflections. The light creates a sensorial experience depending on the viewer’s distance from the piece. From far away, the magical 'candle' effect is more pronounced. But up close, the lenses reveal an unexpected vision of the surrounding space.