Despite there being an abundance of CFL producers, we see only three basic bulb formats available: The Radiator, The Ice Cream Whip and the Tungsten-esc types. Each style is uniform in shape, with no variation, tension or interest. It seems strange that the bulb, an object so synonymous with ideas, is almost entirely absent of imagination. The bulb's heritage as a utilitarian, money saving device has seen it placed in store rooms, cold corridors, out-houses and prisons. These associations of context also help to quash any desire we may have had for their presence in our more comfortable, considered and intimate spaces

Surely the tubular formation of these objects should be used to its' advantage, drawing, sculpting or scrawling in the air with light, turning these afterthoughts into centrepieces and perhaps in the process creating designs that people will buy through genuine desire rather than mere moral obligation

HULGER explored the possibilities allowed by the tubular material. The twist design references and subverts the ubiquitous Radiator. The freeform example elongates the PLUMEN's configuration, adding a chaotic tangle into the slender shape, a format well suited for a corner light. Flattening the tube creates another exciting set of possibilities, the example here presented as the ribbon idea , an arrangement of two flattened tubes, one folding inside the other. Ball is constructed with haphazard loops like a ball of wool, wrapped around a glass core.

It was incredibly exciting seeing the countless options opening up during creative development. The opportunities are clearly endless

HULGER are open for discussions with bulb manufacturers with a view to creating the first production PLUMEN series

HULGER ( formerly known as Pokia) is a London based boutique electronics company, usually associated with their retro styled telephones for use with Skype and other VoIP services and which can also be plugged into mobile phones. Visit HULGER's site for details or see the main production range of HULGER phones and accessories

The PLUMEN Project is a continuation of HULGERISATION, an ongoing process that sees the HULGER philosophy applied to various electronic products and systems

We would like to extend a special thankyou to Tom stables, Anna Bullus and Zeynep Rende who worked with Hulger to evolve the designs and prototypes.

Since the Plumen CFL launch the bulb was exhibited in MoMA, New York's Design and the Elastic Mind.

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