Rethinking markets for light technology

Following a successful carer as an artist living in France with in many of his works in national collections Richard Kirk moved into the Advertising world in London. It was while working for Bogle Bartle Hegarty the international renowned agency that Richard first realised the potential of the EL technology for both the design and art community and that of advertising. He formed a partnership with the SPS group based in Bournemouth to create what is today Elumin8. In the last four years Elumin8 have concentrated in equal measure on the Arts Foundation they have created that is close to fundamentals of Richard's vision and that the commercial advertising world.

UK based company Elumin8 is placing itself at the cutting edge of technology, setting new standards in the application of light as manufacturers of groundbreaking electroluminescent light solutions (EL).

 

Elumin8 is currently serving 3 broadly defined markets with new and innovative light based solutions :

 

 

In the past year this has included: Glowing hearts on the sides of London Buses for the Launch of the Love Actually DID, pulsing 6 Sheet posters for the launch of the Renault Modus, and animated 48 sheet bill boards for O2. Elumin8 has also collaborated on campaigns for Sony Erickson, Umbra, Bombay Sapphire and Bailey's.

 

 

Young designer Sam Buxton worked with Elumin8 on a number of projects under the name of Surface Intelligent Objects, or SIOS. He used the technology to produce an interactive table that detects pressure, and lights up, as well as an EL wall clock with abstract panels that light up to mark the passing minutes and hours. In particular, he was interested in "the combination of illumination and information-giving (sequencing displays) than for illumination for light decoration alone." (Buxton)

 

Rachael Wingfield, designer of the shimmering EL window blind called "Digital Dawn", has also produced a pressure-sensitive product - a reactive tablecloth that lights up beneath objects placed on it.

 

CEO of PolyPhotonix, Richard's first career was as a successful artist living and working in Paris. Many of his works are held in public and private collections.

On return to the UK he then became Managing Director of Elumin8, a fast growing start up making imaginative, flexible AC electroluminescent displays and lighting systems. As an artist, he has initiated much innovation in electronics as art and created the Elumin8 Foundation to sponsored artists, designers and art schools worldwide.

He is currently advising Harvard University and Lebone Solutions on the development of the 'Lighting for Africa' project based on microbial fuel cells harvesting power from the soil. He sits on many printed electronic and industrial advisory boards and committees in the UK. He lectures and talks at Universities internationally and is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences speaking about design and printed electronics matters.