An ancient material meets 21st century technology.
Tung Shape Lighting is the idea of Steven Albert Bush, an American who’s been living in Sweden for 23 years. Tung is the Swedish word for “heavy” so it fits well with the idea to make lamps from concrete. He’s developed a series of lights based on primitive shapes which use LED lights to create a new and beautiful product.
LED lights are efficient and effective technology which are fundamentally changing the way we light our world. Observing the evolution of LEDs and the quality they had reached gave Steven the idea to try and put the LEDs into forms when he filled them with wet cement. Trial and error and lots of testing have gotten Steven to the point where he has decided to run a KickStarter project to raise money to go further.
Steven now has more than 15 different designs and is offering 6 unique lamps as part of his KickStarter campaign. These 6 run from palm sized to desk-lamp size and allow for a range of reward tiers.
The goal of the campaign is to raise enough money so he can have silicon molds made of the most popular designs. Silicon molds increase production efficiency so the designs can be offered to stores and produced in a relatively reasonable amount of time. Silicon molds are expensive to make but last for a long time.
The molds help with the speed of production and increase form continuity, yet each lamp is still a unique piece due to the variables of the cement, stones added, pigment added (if requested) and the effect vibration has on the mixing inside the mold.
Upon drying, the lamps are wet polished starting at 80 grit and working up to 3500 grit. The result is a smooth and shiny surface punctuated by areas where the surface is perhaps rough from water leakage or a build up of sand or marble crush. Edges might have chips or imperfections, this adds to the unique character of each piece and is desirable.
Lamps may also be left rough for a more natural “stone-like” finish. Inspiration for the colours and textures comes from the stones which Steven has collected since childhood.
This is a design project in the purest sense in that it is one person’s idea being brought to life through diligence, perseverance and hard work. The opportunity KickStarter provides is hard to overestimate. The additional fact it just became possible to start a campaign from Sweden was another stroke of good timing – even the shipping options for each reward are a new development which made offering a collection of different rewards more realistic.
If you would like more information on Tung Shape Lighting or to speak with Steven please visit the website www.tungshape.com or get in touch via these channels:
Contact: Steven Bush
Cell Phone: +46 70 715 5478
Email: steve@tungshape.com
Skype: steven.a.bush
Twitter: @tungshape
Steven is a native of Bloomsburg, Pa, grew up and went to college in Boulder, Co. He ended up in Sweden when visiting friends after college. He’s skilled in carpentry and loves design. He’s employed as a freelance video photographer often but does other things as well. Together with his wife Petra they work on her design brand called Gooey Brand. A KS campaign for that is in the works.
