AUSTRALIAN LIGHTING COMPANY ISM OBJECTS HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF LIGHTING DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING SINCE THE MELBOURNE-BASED BRAND OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1990.

Founders Celina Clarke and Simon Christopher began designing and producing lighting for domestic and commercial environments, quickly earning a solid reputation for the development of quality Australian made contemporary lighting. 25 years on this commitment to Australian manufacturing remains true and ensures all of their lighting products are made locally, then assembled and packaged at their factory in Mentone, Melbourne.

An early defining moment for ISM Objects came with the design of its first light, the Fab Lamp in 1992. Fab won the ‘Artist & Industry’ awards for design and production.  This self-assembled table lamp gained a boost when Australian retailer Country Road recognised its potential and ordered 500 custom Fab table lamps and stocked them in their stores nationally.

Always an early adopter within the industry, ISM Objects recognised the importance of environmental issues in product design before most. In 1994, it developed, designed and produced the Madame Ruby Lamp, made from post industrial waste. The lamp was featured in the highly acclaimed ‘Mutant Materials in Contemporary Design’ exhibition at New York’s MOMA in 1995. The following year, its international success continued when it was part of the ‘Re(f)use Exhibition’, which toured throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Ruby was also featured in the book ’50 Lights’ by US author Mel Byers.

This sustainable and progressive thinking remains at the heart of ISM Objects When inefficient lighting technologies were phased out and energy-saving illumination methods developed, ISM incorporated these advances into its standard and custom products, ensuring all lighting was designed to accommodate energy saving compact fluorescents and, more recently, the introduction of LED technology. “We have always aimed to adapt to changes through our design work,” say Clarke and Christopher. “We were at the forefront of computer aided design and manufacture, design for recycling and energy efficient lighting technologies. There has been a complete revolution in the past 25 years in how things are designed, manufactured and marketed. The World Wide Web was only created in 1989 – the year before we started!”

Additional milestones across ISM Objects’ 25 years in business include custom lighting designs for entertainment and hospitality venues, such as Melbourne icons The Hotel Lindrum, the Prince Hotel and Circa Restaurant. The launch of ISM Objects’ Sydney showroom in 2003 and its specialist lighting showroom in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda in 2012 are additional highlights.

As ISM Objects begins its 25th anniversary celebrations, Clarke and Christopher say they are proud of the longevity and enduring nature of their products. “Business over the past 25 years has been exciting, challenging and constantly evolving. We love collaborating with creative people.”