CARBON ARC SEARCHLIGHT(S)

The Brightest Light Ever Made

Rationale
Let there be light!
Before your eyes no modern LED or Xenon sorcery, but a mighty Carbon Arc light source from World War II. With the help of these enormous searchlights, incoming enemy aircraft could be spotted in the night sky. Ground based anti-aircraft divisions only had a 6 minute timeframe to prevent an aerial bombing raid. Incoming aircraft were first located using enormous hornshaped sound isolators, then illuminated with Carbon Arcs and shot down. A matter of life and death deploying the best ears, the best guns and only the very best light.

Carbon Arc light is based on technology that pre-dates the light bulb. Basically, it’s a very strong welding machine combined with a large parabolic mirror. The Sperry Anti-Aircraft Carbon Arc Searchlight emits a 1.5 meter beam of light, more powerful than 800 million candles. Clear skies permitting, its beam reaches out to a whopping 25km! Due to the turning and burning of the carbon rods, the light within the beam dances a little bit. These lights still are the most powerful single light sources in the world today.

The Sperry searchlights were originally powered with a six-cylinder diesel generator. To prevent the use of this polluting power source, Kinetic Humor replaced the powering unit with a custom built green transformator that runs on standard 400VAC.

Kinetic Humor has three renovated Sperry Carbon Arcs operational. By the end of 2024 the fourth searchlight will be ready for action. Kinetic Humor’s Carbon Arcs have already illuminated different festivals. For project Lucy (Glow Eindhoven 2022) two units were used, each at one side of a canal. At a light art festival in Turku (Finland) a single unit was placed on the deck of a massive ship in the harbour. The beam was aimed over the water and was visible over the whole city. The use of these lamps is versatile. For example, light art festivals, grand openings, movie premieres or presentation of new car models.

Year: 2021-2023