A DESIGN COMPETITION WITH 100 000 REASONS TO ENTER

The SWITCH DESIGN COMPETITION is an ACDC Express initiative that encourages up-and-coming South African designers to establish their personal brand and win a prize of R100 000. We chatted to 2022 runner-up PATRICK VICE about the inspiration behind his entry.

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ACDC Express is always searching for fresh talent and innovative design concepts, and the Switch Design Competition provides a platform for local designers - professionals and students alike - to gain recognition and experience. In the last issue of VISI we spoke to the winner of the 2022 competition Ryan McCallum about the inspiration behind his winning entry; now, we hear from East London-based Patrick Vice, whose desk lamp was awarded the runner-up spot last year.

* What inspires you? I take much of my inspiration in life from great people - mostly hard-working individuals who put others above themselves. Endeavour is, to me, the meaning of life.

* Tell us about your lamp and its features. It's a multifunctional lamp, which can be programmed via a Wi-Fi-enabled ESP module (the brains of the lamp). It functions as a glow lamp for loadshedding lighting, a desk lamp with two functions and multiple brightness levels, a torch, and mood lighting - able to change colour, and pulse to the beat of music.