Twin Lamp

A Medium That Connects Two People Through Subtle Presence

Twin Lamp is an internet-connected lamp designed to link two individuals in different locations. Each unit of the Twin Lamp consists of a yellow lamp and a blue lamp, with each person using their own unit. One person can turn on the blue lamp but has no control over the yellow one, while the other can turn on the yellow lamp but cannot operate the blue one. Through this simple interaction of switching the lamps on and off, Twin Lamp enables individuals to sense each other’s “presence” and “absence” in a soft, intimate manner within the natural context of everyday life.

Created around the turn of the millennium, a time when experimental internet-based projects were flourishing, this work subtly hints at the impending rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). It offers a vision for the digital age, proposing the transmission of warmth and connection through technology, serving as a poignant reminder of human presence even in a virtual, disconnected world.