South Korea-based designer, Haneul Kim recently collaborated with CGV Cinemas, Korea’s largest multiplex movie theater chain on an upcycling project.
When cinemas shut down or need to upgrade and replace their screens, what actually happens to all the big displays that are being torn down? While the question rarely arises, it’s hard not to ponder where and how might one dispose of these large-scale screens. Aiming to address the issue revolving around the handling and discarding of unwanted movie screens, Kim came up with the idea of repurposing them into small, portable lamps.
The giant screens at theaters are usually crafted from white vinyl that is perforated all over. As these screens are often mounted in front of speakers, these perforations allow sound to emit from the screens, creating a more immersive audio experience. “I thought the holes in the discarded screen were visually similar to aluminum perforated plates used as industrial materials. And I imagined what it would be like to replace the sound emitted through it with light“ writes Kim.
The resulting lamps are presented in an all-white mushroom-like but geometric shape. It’s equipped with three LED hues, and a memory dimmer complete with a battery life of up to 16 hours. It’s also rechargeable via USB-C and takes approximately 4 hours for a full charge. Kim also revealed another iteration that pays homage to Mario Botta’s Shogun table lamp. Crafted from discarded PVC movie screens, the rod features repeated silver-gray stripes while the lampshade arrives in an all-white color.
