foscarini x james wines' the light bulb series in reverse room at milan design week

‘the light bulb series’ developed in collaboration between foscarini and james wines/site, is the protagonist of the installation ‘reverse room’ presented during milan design week 2018 at foscarini spazio brera, an overturned and angled ‘black box’ that disrupts spatial perception and challenges our reactions to the environment and conventions. conceived as a set of five pieces, in numbered limited editions, the series is a signature collection of objects that blur the boundaries between art and design through wines’ original thinking about form and function, exploring wide-ranging reflections on the light bulb as an archetype.

melting light: a bulb halfway between form and liquefaction, suspended in a state of transition, becoming the evanescent icon of a ghost

the classic light bulb shape was initially dictated by function and technology available at its inception and remained constant for decades during which the form became etched into collective memory and perception. technical evolution and expansion of LED technology now make it possible to adapt any form to the same function. this moment is the end of the light bulb, but the form is so entrenched in our culture that it remains ubiquitous. wines approaches these considerations through the main themes that have guided his architectural research; a body of work exploring subconscious expectations and reactions toward everyday objects and experiences, and inserting art where it’s least expected.

candle light: a fusion of different modes of shedding light, two technical lighting histories, of flame and tungsten, that merge to form a new, ambiguous, paradoxical object

the light bulb series includes five different interpretations of the luminous icon: ‘black light’, which reverses expectations about light source by inverting function and parts of the object, the bulb becomes black while the socket emits light; ‘candle light’, a fusion of different modes of shedding light, two technical lighting histories, of flame and tungsten, that merge to form a new, ambiguous, paradoxical object; ‘melting light’, a bulb halfway between form and liquefaction, suspended in a state of transition, becoming the evanescent icon of a ghost; ‘plant light’, a bulb invaded and overrun by nature, transformed into a bulb-pot for the plant that colonises it; and the archetypal white light’, the matrix of everything, where everything can still happen.

plant light: a bulb invaded and overrun by nature, transformed into a bulb-pot for the plant that colonizes it

‘this series comes from the idea of disrupting the classic design of incandescent light bulbs,’ wines explains.‘an idea that suggests a critical reflection on the absolutely non-iconic forms of modern LED lamps. the concept, implemented by foscarini, stems from research on the spontaneous way people identify with forms and functions of everyday objects. in this case, the light bulbs merge, crack, shatter, burn out, overturning any expectations’.

black light: reverses expectations about light source by inverting function and parts of the object

the archetypal white light: the matrix of everything, where everything can still happen

reverse room installation at foscarini spazio brera

the series

carlo urbinati, matteo urbinati, james wines, and suzan wines

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edited by: maria erman | designboom