In Tennesee, ‘The Amazing Jellyfish
(theamazingjellyfish.com)’ take the bioluminescent bodies of
creatures that have died of natural causes and encase them in
resin, thus preserving not just their bodies, but also their
incredible glow-in-the-dark properties.
Thanks to the phosphur proteins in their bodies – part of the
defence mechanism that they use to frighten predators – jellyfish
absorb light naturally, and emit it with an ethereal blueish glow
when under darkened conditions.
How it works;
After a jellyfish dies, the firm freeze its body using liquid
nitrogen, which they then set in crystalline resin – a special sort
of epoxy that can withstand working at ultra low temperatures
– creating a cast of the body, which is set in an ovoid mould
shaped like the resulting lamp.
No extra light is needed –
the natural radiance the jellyfish emit in a
darkened room has been absorbed during the daylight hours.
However, some of the lamps come with a special base that can add
an eerie glow to the jellyfish so that it can also be used as
a more traditional light.
For the squeamish, it is worth pointing out that the transparent
resin, crystalline epoxy, is strong and shatterproof, so will not
break if dropped.
