Uplift 2.0
Useful information
- Team members
- Tom Lawton Ben Jandrell Lydia Ford Nick Pascoe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Keywords
- Uplifting Solar Regenerative Modular Long-lasting Recycled Waste Mental Health
Short Description
Tackling mental health and waste fishing nets. This solar powered sculpture helps to uplift people.
Detailed Description
Uplift 2.0 is a mesmerising, spiralling sculpture, powered by the sun to create a visually soothing motion, designed to help you relax.
'Uplift is so hypnotic. I could watch it forever' - Jamie Oliver.
It uses waste fishing nets from the Cornish Hake Fisheries to form the spiral’s structure, which in turn gives it it’s stunning translucent azure colour.
Conceived in response to his Gran's demise in to dementia Uplift 2.0 has been a labour of love for Tom who is looking to lift the spirits of a stressed out world.
After two successful Kickstarter campaigns the product has developed in to a robust product design, beautifully packaged and responsibly made in the UK with some integral parts supplied from China.
Uplift 2.0 is good for our minds and good for our planet.
'Wowzer, Tom has done it again. Uplift 2.0 captures the essence of the regenerative future; she runs on sunlight, turns waste material into timeless art, and calms the spirit as she spins. Just beautiful!' - Kate Raworth
Project Details
- Does your design take social and cultural challenges and human wellbeing into consideration?
The very essence of Uplift is to engage the viewer in a harmonious way, to gently encourage them to engage with a more fluid visual dynamic than is often found in our artificial, largely urban, often linear and processes driven world. Nature moves in waves and spirals and in the same way these patterns are satisfying to watch, the design and speed of Uplift has been tuned to be very pleasant to look at. The effect is a real uplift. While the designers don't want to present the creation with an air of snake oil sale, hundreds of customers world wide use it daily as a visual aid to unfurl the wheels of their mind. It's like a gateway prompt to meditation and that's got to be a good thing. As a side point, every Uplift sale contributes to our Be Uplifted Bursary in partnership with specialist 'blue health' charity The Sea Sanctuary.
- Does your design support sustainable production, embodying circular or regenerative design practices?
The spirals are made from waste fishing nets, saved from landfill and sourced from the Hake Fisheries in Cornwall. The purification, processing and industrial manufacture of them is a pioneering body of working undertaken by Uplift products Ltd and through a self initated R&D project which has proven their successful manufacture - we worked in partnership with Fishy Filaments, Cornwall and Plastic IT Ltd, Shropshire. Everything else, except from the electronics and magnets, are responsibly sourced and easily recycleable. The first 1,000 Uplift 2.0's have saved the equvalent of 9,000 kg of C02 comparted to virgin plastic and of course, the design is solar powered.
- Does your design use principles of distribution and open source?
The design is modular so all parts can be upgraded and it's our intention to invite other designers to offer locally made and designed spirals based on their own designs and using our mechanical system - but we are early in our journey and are keeping the proposition singular now. We have reached out to Glasgow based designer Lynne MacLachlan who is interested in being our first collaboration.
- Does your design promote awareness of responsible design and consumption?
Most definately. It's beautiful and it's made from trash! Infact, it's exquisite and that's promotion of the potential in regenerative design we were looking to achieve. To inspire consumers, and other designers, to go the extra mile and make something exceptional. To show how beautiful a sustainable future can be. The design of course is engineered to last a lifetime with modular parts should anything become damaged or ever wear out.
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