I was inspired by my own desk lamp. Sitting there late at night, I'd look up and see the whole apartment dark. Only my desk lit, bright and quiet beside me. I realized how much lights shape my daily life: without that lamp, I couldn't work, I couldn't even see what I was doing. While I'm technically in control of it, where it sits, when it turns on, it also holds a kind of control over me. It might "refuse" to turn on when the bulb burns out. I wanted to physicalize that relationship, maybe even exaggerate it.
What does it look like when a lamp can communicate with its user?
Interviewee M
“When I lived in the dorm during college, every night at 11:30, the overhead lights cut off automatically, leaving only desk lamps glowing, a shared signal that it was time for bed. Seeing what her five dormmates were doing reminded her of what she should be doing. “
“When I moved into my own apartment, with no one around, I'd end up in bed at 4 a.m. and miss her 8 a.m. classes. It was never the plan, just time slipping away unnoticed.”
“When I moved into my own apartment, with no one around, I'd end up in bed at 4 a.m. and miss her 8 a.m. classes. It was never the plan, just time slipping away unnoticed.”
Body Doubling: another person's presence boosting focus and follow-through, shown to help people with ADHD sustain attention. (Ara et al., 2025). It doesn't even require being in the same room — their presence alone is enough.