When designing the Dif Lamp, Bangkok-based designer Taras Yoom (born Taras Zheltyshev) looked to his education as a medical professional as a point of reference. The purple tubes of the unique floor lamp are inspired by the vascular system and the light pink orbs resemble blood cells – their passengers. Early on in his career, Yoom simultaneously worked part time in a laboratory and an architectural firm, and over time his projects began to blur the line between visible reality and the hidden processes of organisms. This drove him to work within the theme of human physiology and the Yoomoota art universe that the artist has since created.
Within Yoomoota, the Dif Luminaire “is made from terrestrial cells sent to our planet by the hero Thymus in order to protect it from infectious agents (Viroids and Bagds). These light pink cells are kept in Thymus’s backpack in the form of living and non-living objects, whose appearance scares enemies away. On Orginion (the planet of our body, where biochemical and physiological processes are described), similar luminaires are used as charms. They are activated when infections attack the cities during dark nights,” he explained in detail. “The Dif Lamp provides physical protection to the inhabitants during the night and moreover, serves as [a] significant guide and support. That is the light, which illuminates the darkness and allows us to defend against irrational fears, which all of us encounter.”
The larger Yoomoota universe reflects our inner worlds, a parallel universe with its own planets and inhabitants – a projection of our bodies and minds. Everything that exists on a global scale in reality is represented. The story is told through sculptures, collectible design, paintings, mixed media pieces, storybooks, and NFTs.
To learn more about Taras Yoom and Yoomoota, visit yoomoota.com.
