Once upon a time and way back when, fellow 3ringer Alicita Rodriguez profiled a product called the Twist Together Lamp. Though it’s probably one of the least costly products ever to appear on 3rings, the simple, self-assembling/modular light sticks in my mind because of its high-utility, impressive durability, and vivacious versatility (nor did it hurt that they sent us a free sample). Something similar of the sort is in play in Sydney designer Kenan Wang‘s synergistic Eco-Twinkle, “the merging of pencil sharpener and human-powered wind-up light.” The concept takes a simple yet inspired idea–loosely defined as “lungs + muscle = energy”–and employs it to create a self-sustaining conversation piece that’s also an auspicious emblem of millennial innovation.

Eco-Twinkle. Designed by Kenan Wang.

Wang began his foray into Eco-Twinkle by noting the similarities between wall-mounted crank pencil sharpeners and wind-up emergency lights. From there, it was a simple matter of fusing the two concepts. Thus, with Eco-Twinkle, every graphite-honing crank is stored as battery power to light the bank of LEDs skillfully inserted in the removable cap. Eco-Twinkle’s various profusions of lovely luminosity are achieved via different colored caps and receptacles (that also double as the temporary locus of pencil shavings). And an on/off switch up top lets you extinguish the works at will, as the battery saves your wrist-powered power for another time.

In addition to clearly being a pragmatist and solutions-oriented designer, Wang has a bit of the romantic about him. The aesthetic of Eco-Twinkle owes a debt to Celtic lore, wherein lies the origin of the creatures called fairies: “the fairy in the jar has been an inspiration for countless examples of art and literature. The light emitted by Eco-Twinkle is like the light from the fairies. It is natural and serene.” Being–for better or worse–a child of Disney, my prime reference point is Tinkerbell from the animated version of Peter Pan, but E-T also evokes the poetry of W.B. Yeats, the illustrations of Arthur Rackham, and (speaking of E.T.) the fantastical mise-en-scene of early Spielberg. But the cultural intersections, illuminating as they are, are really just window dressing for Wang’s clever and functional implement, “an eco-friendly, low carbon, and natural way for lighting.”

Photos via Yankodesign.