The Slow2 lamp is a pair of ceiling-hung tubular light installations designed by Su Yang Choi and presented at Salone Satellite 2026 in Milan. Each tube is built around a steel armature wrapped in layers of seaweed-derived agar, a biodegradable biopolymer Choi formulated without synthetic additives. LED strips run through the core alongside insulating tubing, with light passing outward through the semi-translucent agar surface. Color is produced entirely from natural pigments, specifically gardenia and paprika, which create a gradient shifting from warm amber and gold at the lower sections to a deeper red toward the top.
The two structures interlock vertically and reference baramgil, a spatial principle in traditional Korean hanok architecture where aligned openings along a single axis create layered depth. Slow2 is the second work in Choi's ongoing Slow Project series, an investigation into seaweed-derived agar as a design material with independent formal properties.
Image Credit: Su Yang Choi
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Seaweed-derived Biopolymers
- Agar-based structural materials grown from seaweed suggest alternatives to petrochemical plastics for molded and laminated product components.
- Bio-based Lighting Aesthetics
- Designs that use semi-translucent biopolymers for light diffusion point to a new class of luminaires where materiality and light quality are inseparable.
- Natural Pigment Gradient Coloration
- Gradated hues created from plant-derived dyes enable color systems that forgo synthetic pigments while offering stable, tunable visual effects.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Lighting and Fixtures
- Specifying biodegradable diffusers and integrated LED cores could reshape fixture lifecycles and maintenance paradigms within commercial and residential lighting.
- Sustainable Building Materials
- Biopolymer claddings and interior elements derived from seaweed introduce low-embodied-carbon alternatives for architectural finishes and acoustic panels.
- Textile and Surface Design
- Soft, moldable agar layers and natural pigment processes offer a route to novel tactile surfaces and patterned treatments for upholstery and wall coverings.
