Design company Hulger has created a series of sculptural low-energy bulb prototypes as a reaction against the ugliness of existing products.

Called Plumen, the range includes various geometric and abstract designs. Hulger are now looking for a manufacturer to produce the bulbs.

Here is some info from Hulger:

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THE PLUMEN PROJECT
An alternative design proposal for low energy light bulbs

As with other HULGER products, The PLUMEN low energy light bulb prototype is a reaction to the lack of real diversity, imagination and personality offered by the market today.

Despite there being an abundance of 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 centerpieces and perhaps in the process creating designs that people will buy through genuine desire rather than mere moral obligation.

The energy saving lightbulb has the other advantage of a long life, something that negates the need for the disposability (and thus invisibility) of conventional tungsten bulbs. These products could be bought as long term design objects in their own right, not just things to hide behind shades.

The PLUMEN's name comes from the plume-like forms that drop from the pendent fitting, twisting together as they fold outward. A bird's plumes are not functional and unlike their flying feathers they signify pride, beauty and prowess, qualities in keeping with the purpose of HULGER's proposed bulb designs.

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 the 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 – www.hulger.com.

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