You might have already noticed how light and water beautifully complements each other.
If you’ve ever tried staring at the droplets of water rolling down the window pane on a rainy day, then you should have an idea of how light can add a mesmerizing, dramatic effect on water. However, no matter how hard you try to picture it out, there just seems to be no way to recreate the dazzling effect. Putting lighting and water together sounds like an accident waiting to happen. It’s simply too risky to put water within reach of electricity.
Believe it or not, designer Richard Clarkson was actually able to achieve this mesmerizing combination in his nature-inspired project called Rain lamp.
What is the Rain lamp?
The Rain lamp is another installment in Richard Clarkson’s studio’s nature inspired designs. The intricately designed pump system in the Rain lamp creates a beautiful, shimmering effect from the water inside the lamp. It utilizes LED technology to allow light and water to work together like never before. The inherent shape of the lamp is globular which acts like a huge magnifying lens that projects the enthralling rippling effect of the water onto the surface below.
Rain lamp is designed to be safe, compact, and durable. The LED bulb used in the lamp can last for up to 100,000 hours, making it both stunningly bright and economically efficient. Droplets are released around the bulb from the pool of water in the lamp through a hidden pump that continuously circulates water. Light then reflects downwards as the droplets fall, creating a stunning display of rippling dance. The beautiful and enthralling effect of the Rain lamp is further accentuated when it is viewed in a dark room.
How does the Rain lamp work?
The Rain lamp is an undeniably unique design that utilizes a micro-peristaltic pump to drip water around the bulb, allowing precise time for each drop when required. This will then project dynamic ripple patterns on the surface below.
The mesmerizing effect of the droplets begins when three droplets are released simultaneously. The ripples of each droplet momentarily bounce off of each other to create a series of constructive and destructive interferences that are projected by the light as dazzling patches of lightness and darkness on the surface below.
There are basically four main parts in the Rain lamp: the inlet feed that collects water from the pool, the pump chamber that provides the pressure to draw up water, the LED bulb that illuminates the lamp, and the “rain” outlet around the bulb where the droplets fall from.
Simply put, the Rain lamp is a huge glass sphere filled halfway with water, with a LED bulb hanging overhead inside the sphere and a hidden closed pump system. The pump draws up water and releases it back again into the pool of water in the sphere via rain-like droplets. The timing for each drop of water can be changed to allow a precise time. As these droplets fall back into the pool, they cast beautiful patterns due to their shadows and the magnifying effect of the globular shape of the lamp. Each drop produces a rhythmic ticking sound that adds to the mesmerizing effect of the lamp.
What are the features of the Rain lamp?
The acrylic globe of the lamp comes in two sizes: 12 inches or 16 inches diameter. It “rains” approximately 1.5 gallons of water per hour. It comes with a 5000k replaceable LED bulb that is powered by an input voltage of 110-220 or 50-60 Hz.
The Rain lamp is designed to be suspended in the air so that it can efficiently project the beautiful images below. It comes with a 6 ft. aircraft cable so that it can be hung anywhere you prefer, and a 10 ft. plug-in cord. The Rain lamp weighs about 30 lbs. or 15 kg. when filled with water.
