Interview with Jim Reeves @GravityLight
A year ago, the Lumino to Lumino team just returned from their charity cycle from the Lumino headquarters in Essex to the company’s namesake in Lumino, Switzerland. The Lumino To Lumino team joined together to raise money for the GravityLight Foundation. The GravityLight Foundation is a UK Registered Charity working to alleviate poverty and protect the environment through innovative design. Their first product, GravityLight, has been developed to provide clean, reliable and safe light - enabling people to break free from the economic, health and environmental hazards of kerosene lamps.
In June, GravityLight took part in the first Make the Future London festival celebrating some of the brightest and most exciting innovations helping to tackle the global energy challenge. Lumino had the pleasure to discuss with the designer Jim Reeves about GravityLight project, design and vision.
Lumino: Can you tell us how the project began?
Jim Reeves: We were stimulated through our awareness of people living off-grid.
Lumino: What was the original brief?
Jim Reeves: To make a low cost and acceptable form of lighting to replace kerosene fuel for the world’s poor.
Lumino: What are the design challenges you have faced?
Jim Reeves: The main obstacles were and remain cost and performance. How did you overcome the difficulties? Through a concerted and still ongoing iterative R&D process of prototyping and evaluation.
Lumino: ‘How do people react when they discover GravityLight?
Jim Reeves: “WOW” is the common gut reaction and “That’s remarkable” usually follows in the second breath.
Lumino: Thanks to crowdfunding, your campaign had raised almost US$400,000 within 40 days. How can explain this success/massive support?
Jim Reeves: This was through a combination of people being captured by the innovation and having empathy with the aims of the social purpose.
Lumino: Whats next?
Jim Reeves: Main production, delivery, in-field monitoring and re-evalution of the latest product iteration in wide context to better understand users needs.
Lumino: Can you tell us more about your launch in Kenya?
Jim Reeves: The product will be manufactured in China and assembled in a facility near Nairobi this Autumn followed by a 50 day roadshow launch during the last quarter of 2016.
The Proust Questionnaire > Jim Reeves
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Richard Feynman, Theoretical Physicist.
Which living person do you most admire? David Mitchell, Comedian - “makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth”.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I am told that I often use the word Ubiquitous.
What is your motto? Be fit for purpose.
Who are your heroes in real life? It was Ayrton Senna.
Jim, co-inventor of GravityLight, worked with Martin Riddiford on the initial GravityLight concept, taking it from idea to reality. As co-founder and Technical Director of The GravityLight Foundation and Deciwatt Ltd, Jim now leads the R&D for GL02 and future range development.
More information: http://www.gravitylight.org
