Dezeen Magazine

Euro Condom by Ingo Maurer

Milan 09: German lighting designer Ingo Maurer launched Euro Condom, a protest against new European guidelines banning frosted incandescent bulbs, at the Euroluce lighting fair in Milan last month.

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The opaque condoms fit over clear incandescent bulbs - which are not affected by the guidelines - to give a similar effect to the banned bulbs.

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Here's some text from Maurer:

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The Euro Condom consists of a thin, heat-resistant silicone cover that turns a clear bulb into a frosted one. Frosted bulbs will be banned by the new EU guideline on light sources beginning September 2009, because they are said give off less light than clear bulbs.

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But according to the specifications of various manufacturers the difference, measured in lumens, is negligible or not existing. – Protect yourself from stupid rules, use the Euro Condom!