By Kimberley Mok / Source: TreeHugger

1.jpg.662x0_q70_crop-scale

Diaphanous and eerily beautiful, jellyfish are the floating aliens of the ocean, and some have hypothesized their numbers might be flourishing in recent years due to the warming and increasing acidification of the ocean. In any case, the jellyfish are but one piece of the ocean conservation puzzle, and in homage to this graceful and mysterious creature, Californian designer Roxy Russell created this series of jellyfish-inspired lighting, where part of the profits will be donated to the Ocean Conservancy.

Made out of recyclable and durable velum finish PET (polyethylene terephthalate) mylar, in addition to white powder-coated aluminum, Russell’s “Medusae” lamps come flat-packed and are designed to hang from the ceiling, allowing their delicate arms to float down, diffusing light softly.

medusae-collection.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

Russell has given these creations names like “Hydra”, “Ophelia”, and “Medusa” in a nod toward Greek mythological characters.

2.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

3.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

4.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

5.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

Though it may seem paradoxical to make these plastic lamps to help ocean conservation, Russell explains that the problem is not with this recyclable material itself, but with our “everything is disposable” attitude:

I don’t believe the PET is an evil material, it is the way we use it. We will never be able to completely eliminate something as versatile as plastics. We must, however put more thought into how disposable it is, and its role in our everyday lives. For example, we know we need to drink water everyday in order to survive, why are most people still using disposable containers to hold their water? It’s such a new thing too, for centuries we had canteen’s, animal skins etc, to hold our water. Now, we forget so easily that we are creating this waste every time we need to hydrate!

The lights are an example of how delicate and beautiful our ocean life is. The use of plastic in such a way shows a middle ground in the ways we use our technologies. And hopefully elevates it, in a way.

7.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart

Read more @ TreeHugger