Wunderman Thompson worked to integrate the rich, cultural heritage of the tribe into the design of the lights, with traditional symbols and patterns carved into its wooden casing and the colourful carrier straps woven by local craftswomen using a technique that goes back to pre-colonial times. Although removed from the rest of society, the area is surrounded on all sides by the Caribbean Sea, which offers a plentiful resource to power the WaterLight. "We choose the Wayúu community because they're a population that's been forgotten by the government." Each carrier strap was handwoven by a local craftswomanįor centuries, the Wayúu have occupied the remote, desert landscape of the Guajira peninsula. "E-Dina is a Colombian company and we wanted to start with a local community with the problem of no access to electricity," Pineda explained. This current iteration of the lamp was designed specifically for the Wayúu people, an indigenous tribe living on the northernmost tip of South America where Colombia meets Venezuela. The light can help Wayúu artisans to work at night
The light has a cylindrical case made of Urapán wood with a circuit integrated into its base and a perforated cap on top that allows water to flow into the device while the hydrogen gas created during the ionisation process can escape.Īfter the salt particles have evaporated, the lamp can be emptied and refilled while the used water can be repurposed for washing or cleaning. Throughout its life, one light can provide around 5,600 hours of energy, which equates to two to three years of use depending on how often it is needed. "They patented a way of ionisation that lasts longer than any technology before," Pineda told Dezeen. WaterLight works 24 hours a day through ionisation, which sees electrolytes in the saline liquid react with magnesium and copper plates on the interior of the lamp to produce electricity.Īlthough this is a long-established process, E-Dina has developed a way to sustain the chemical reaction over a prolonged period of time so that it can be used to power a light source. "Once filled with water, the energy delivery is immediate while solar lanterns need to transform solar energy to alternative energy to charge batteries and they only work if there is sun." The salt water-powered lamp can be used for night fishing
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