Lighting that mimics the circadian rhythm of humans is gaining traction with home owners concerned with health and wellness. Could artificial lighting in the home be replaced by natural lighting technologies, like biological ink, that can make tree trunks and rocks glow in the dark?
Daan Roosegaarde is an artist based in the Netherlands. Alongside a team of engineers and designers, his “social design lab” produces work that attempts to boost quality of life in urban settings by reducing the reliance on artificial light.
“At daytime it looks like a normal piece of tree, but the moment we go to a dark space, it glows at night,” Roosegaarde said.
“We developed a sort of ‘biological ink’ which actually enhances the well-being of the tree, it doesn’t harm it,” he added, explaining that it charged during the day and glowed at night.
The light emitted from the tree, he claimed, “would be enough for way-finding, or guidance, to reduce the ugly polluting street lights, and to maybe bring back more trees and more nature into the city. That’s the ‘smart city’ in my opinion, that’s the future city.”
