Exhale: Bionic Chandelier

Stepping into the Victoria and Albert Museum, visitors expect to see classical and modern works of human ingenuity and creativity. What they may not expect to see is a living organism as a work of art. Look up in the sunlight stairwell of the museum's west wing to see an ornate, living light fixture.

'Exhale: Bionic Chandelier' is a living breathing work of art. This first of its kind creation was designed by Julian Melchiorri, a British and Italian engineer and inventor. Melchiorri is also founder and CEO of Arborea, a biochemical technology company. He, along with his team of experts, developed the world's first lighting fixture that utilized bionic-leaf technologies.

Taking influence from the museum's Art Nouveau and Islamic Art collections, Melchiorri created an intricate layering of 70 glass leaf motifs and embedded them with living micro-algae. The entire structure is maintained by a life-support mechanism, designed by Arborea engineers, that feeds and sustains the micro-ecosystem. 

Basically, the chandelier is undergoing a process known as photosynthesis. It is taking carbon dioxide out of the air and releasing oxygen, much like how plants take light energy to create chemical energy. The device doubles as an air purifier and source of light.