Lars Beller: Moment

Lars Beller’s candle extinguisher, produced by Wrong for HAY, revisits the childhood fascination with the flickering flame with an added reminder of its impermanence.

Most of us can recall a childhood fascination with the flickering flame – mesmerized by the rhythm of the burning light; the concept of time seemed to slowly dissolve.

Lars Beller’s Moment candle extinguisher revisits this lost meditative watch with an added reminder of its impermanence.

As the flame slowly makes its way towards the bottom of the candle, the suspense builds towards its split second finale.

Its formal language is purely dictated by its function, optimizing each part for its intended task. The weight can be adjusted to adapt to a variety of differently shaped candles. This analogue solution stands in sharp contrast to today's high-tech society. Cast iron was the perfect functional as well as aesthetical match for this design. The matte and heavy appearance of this peculiar object creates a nice contrast to the brilliance of the slow burning flame.

The idea of the Moment candle extinguisher was born during a visit to the people’s museum in Oslo in 2012.

“During my stay I stumbled across a collection of silver candelabrums I from the late 19th century. Amongst these pieces was an extraordinary device described as a candle extinguisher. I couldn’t help being completely obsessed with this quirky concept, and I immediately decided that I wanted to create my own modern and simplified interpretation of this remarkable contraption.” Beller says.