Synapse, the new modular lighting project by Francisco Gomez Paz for Luceplan, looks more like a pared-down snowflake than the elemental components of the human nervous system, but then, I’ve never actually seen inside those neural pathways. The product uses RGB LED technology to create individually illuminated modules (emitting white or colored light) that link together to form vertically- or horizontally-oriented room dividers and portable lighting installations. Gomez Paz developed Synapse in response to his observed changes in how we use our space: “houses have become smaller and narrower and people have also decided, because of social changes, to pull down walls to create wider spaces.”

Synapse. Designed by Francisco Gomez Paz for Luceplan.

Synapse LED Modules are Flexible and Accommodating

Synapse addresses the need for partition and illumination in these new spaces which are—paradoxically—both smaller and more open. The product is, essentially, “an intelligent room divider with the capacity of emitting light.” The individual Synapse modules are formed like a slightly convex three-pronged boomerang. The shape allows them simply to link together via junctions at the ends of each of the three prongs or smack in the center. This facilitates the latticed, criss-crossing assembly that gives Synapse its distinctive aesthetic, as it places the reflective modules in proximity with one another such that light can either be focused or bounced off into the ambient sphere.

Via MocoLoco.

About the Manufacturer: Luceplan’s objective is not only to create a variety of aesthetically appealing indoor and outdoor lighting products, but to do so in a way that enhances quality of life: “Energy saving is therefore a top priority and cannot be confined to the ratio of lighting to energy consumption: it must embrace the environmental compatibility of our whole operation.” Luceplan thus assures that each of their long-lived, durable, and beautiful products has been made in an environmentally responsible manner—“a long-lasting product also offers better environmental compatibility and it outlives fashions.” The designers behind such long-lasting lighting include Alfredo Häberli, Luciano Balestrini, and Francisco Gomez Paz.