Wooden LED Light Bulb Glows Red Through Natural Rings and Markings
LEDON and Ryosuke Fukusada teams up to create a bulb encased in a thin layer of pine
The LED bulb is encased in a very thin layer of pine and glows red through the natural rings and markings of the wood when it is switched on.
The light bulb was created using an ancient and a rarely practiced Japanese technique called “Rokuro.” Fukusada collaborated with Yuki Ayabe, a master in the traditional technique to create the wooden light bulb.
Using the “Rokuro” technique, the bulb is handcrafted by turning a 100-year-old pine on a lathe until it is hollowed out to a thickness of about two to three millimeters. An LED light bulb is then carefully placed inside the wooden casing. The Wooden Light Bulb is essentially a thin wooden casing that wraps around an LED light.
The design works because the light bulb being used is a low-heat bulb, which helps avoid damaging the wooden casing. Fukusada also used a recyclable aluminum socket for the bulb to emphasize the contrast between modern and traditional.
According to the designer, he created the light bulb to achieve a “mix of modern design and traditional craft technique.”
The Wooden Light Bulb looks like solid wood when switched off, but the wood is thin enough that it makes the bulb glow red through its natural wooden markings when switched on. Though the light emitted by the wooden bulb is not bright, it creates a unique effect. Fukusada describes the soft glow of the light as “akin to shining a torch through your hand.”
The Wooden Light Bulb design won the Kyoto Renaissance design competition. LEDON is selling the limited edition light bulb for 2,000 Euros or close to $2,700 USD.