LIGHT BULB DRIVE

CLOUD requires over 5,000 burnt out light bulbs for building materials… why not help us out? We’ll re-ignite them into a giant, illuminated piece of public art.

In order to create CLOUD, we need 5,000+ light bulbs. The thing is, they don’t have to work – in fact, we’d love it if they don’t. That way, there’s no waste, just the gentle re-imagination of trash into treasure and waste into art.

Do you have burnt out incandescent bulbs to donate? We’ll take ‘em off your hands!

MOSCOW BULB COLLECTION DATES: Right now until December 27, 2013

WHERE: Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia

Drop them off at the reception desk inside the Garage’s Pavilion in Gorky Park.

WHY DO WE NEED BURNT OUT LIGHT BULBS?

CLOUD is an interactive sculpture made of steel and light bulbs. Here’s the thing – only 200 bulbs in 5,000 actually needs to glow. The rest are purely ornamental. Why waste fresh light bulbs when there are more than enough burnt out light bulbs to spare?

Conceptually, burnt out light bulbs speak of usage, both common-place and familiar. Aesthetically, burnt out bulbs look beautiful. Beyond that, this sculpture is about re-using a formerly functional item (the light bulb) that has lost its function (burnt out) for a magical purpose unrelated to its initial use (art).

Audiences interacting with the first edition of CLOUD at Nuit Blanche Calgary. This version of the piece was created with the help of over 1000 donated burnt out light bulbs. Photo credit: Doug Wong

WHAT SORTS OF BULBS DO WE WANT?

We’re looking for classic, incandescent light bulbs, both clear and semi-opaque. We’re turning them into a thick layer of bulbous shapes outlining the sculpture. They’re going to act as a rear-lit surface for the CLOUD – they’ll be re-illuminated and re-imagined into something new and beautiful. If you have burnt out (or even nearly burnt out) incandescent bulbs, bring them our way! Replace them with something more energy efficient – you’ll be contributing to an art piece and helping out with the energy bills.

WHAT SORTS OF BULBS DON’T WE WANT?

We can’t use burnt out compact fluorescent bulbs, bulbs with silver backings, tube lights, or bulbs that you can’t see through. We’re using the bulbs as a diffraction layer – a good rule of thumb if you’re not sure is to hold the bulbs up to a light. If you can see some light through them, we’ll take them! We will also, as mentioned above, happily take your old not-quite-burnt-out-but-well-on-its-way bulbs, and strangely shaped incandescent bulbs (rounder bulbs, longer bulbs, etc).

Thanks to everyone who has donated light bulbs already. It wouldn’t be nearly as awesome without your help – the more bulbs I have, the bigger and better CLOUD can be!