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When I came across Peteris Zilbers‘ Moodbroom at ICFF this weekend, I thought the designer had cleverly repurposed unloved push brooms into a creative lighting element, and I was actually disappointed to learn that the Moodbroom is, in fact, a brand new object made from wood, plexiglass and an unknown composite material, not, as I had hoped, from recycled materials.
Zilbers’ design asks the question, “What happens when an ordinary household object like a broom is re-imagined?” His answer is a lamp that “plays with function in everyday objects and engages users in a game that alters perceptions of a common item.” The lamp is controlled by a remote that allows you to change the light to any color of the rainbow, or you can set it to rotate through the spectrum.
You can’t tell from the pictures, but the ‘brush’ part of the broom is incredibly heavy – so heavy that I couldn’t even lift it. Yes, I have weak arms, but I shouldn’t have to be a body builder to lift a lamp. Besides, even if you don’t have a problem with the Moodbroom’s weight and materials, what about that cord? In such a simple design the cord seems like a blaring distraction and a huge flaw. Overall, repurposing the traditional broom shape into a light doesn’t strike me as a real stretch of the imagination, and the finished project has too many unconsidered elements to justify its hefty price tag ($500+).
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