In a powerful and hauntingly beautiful gesture, Ukrainian Design firm YOD Group has a new series of table lamps, made from ammunition shells used by anti-aircraft weaponry to defend Kyiv from Russian drones.
The project is called Downed Drone, and includes 40 individual lamps made from shells used by Ukraine’s air defense forces to protect and defend the country’s capital in the month of May, 2023.
“When our friends from the Kyiv air raid defense showed us empty shells, which they used to protect the city from drones, our designers came up with an upcycling idea,” Volodymyr Nepyivoda, architect and co-founder of YOD Group, told Dezeen.
“A shell looks brutal, but it is a powerful symbol of saved lives, and a part of our history,” he continued. “The lamp was one of the first ideas, and the designers liked it because it symbolises the light that always wins against darkness.”
The idea of using spent ammunition to create home furnishings seems somewhat shocking, but is a strong message of courage, resiliency, and creativity, all things that Ukraine has shown the world over the last year and a half since Russia illegally invaded.
Each of the 40 lamps shows the scar and scratch marks from its use in shooting down explosive-laden drones, giving them an extra level of cultural significance.
Circular brass tops were added, giving off a warm glow. The lamps are wireless, able to give around four hours of light between charges.
Each of the 40 lamps are selling for $1100, with 100% of the proceeds given to Ukraine’s military campaigns.
