Hangman – A Collaboration between Rakumba and Adam Goodrum

Australian lighting brand Rakumba has collaborated with industrial designer Adam Goodrum to create the Hangman collection – a celebration of geometric forms. Presenting a curious and playful essence, the lighting collection is characterised by its eccentric quirks and detailed design vision.

The concept behind the Hangman collection was sparked by Adam’s continual fascination and interest in the interplay of mechanisms, design and geometry. “Hangman channels light through the most minimal structure,” explains Adam, “while giving a high degree of functionality via numerous positions and light directions.” The final collection was informed by free sketching using pencil, which found Adam eventually delving deeper into an exploration and development of geometric interaction and form. “The range is about versatility, about your own imagination, to be used like a 3D drawing,” he reflects.

Hangman came to fruition in collaboration with Rakumba – the lighting brand shares in Adam’s passion and desire for quality and inventive design.

Hangman came to fruition in collaboration with Rakumba – the lighting brand shares in Adam’s passion and desire for quality and inventive design. “Together with Adam, we set out to develop an iconic collection that resonates with people through a combination of nostalgia and playfulness,” says Rakumba Managing Director Michael Murray. “Hangman’s anthropomorphic form has huge personality, and its innate playfulness gave us a lot of laughs while were developing the design.” The Rakumba product development team undertook extensive research to create what has been dubbed the ‘elbow’ – an articulated joint that allows each piece to be manipulated in multiple directions, then secured by an audible click.

“The range is shaped by function on a macro and micro level,” Adam says. “From the angular typographic forms you see from afar to the circular angular articulation on an elliptical extrusion.” Situated at the end of each arm is a light source, designed to appear as a softly glowing end. “Everything about Hangman speaks of quality – from its technically sophisticated construction to its highly refined form and finishes,” Michael explains.

The freedom provided by the elbow joints allows a versatility of the light source, where angles can be reconfigured to suit a range of interior aesthetics.

Embodying an effortless intricacy, the Hangman collection echoes the form of the Hangman game.

Embodying an effortless intricacy, the Hangman collection echoes the form of the eponymous game. “Hangman has a typographic quality,” Adam says. “This comes from the game’s word-based mechanic and analogue interaction. However, instead of drawing the lines and letters, in 3D space the pencil becomes human interaction and touch. Rakumba Head of Design Dan Treacy agrees. “It is a piece that charms with a mischievous edge but hiding below the surface is a rigorously considered product. Somewhere between that innovation and distinctive form, Hangman has the potential to be a future design icon.”

The collection is made up of a floor lamp, table lamp and a ceiling pendant and is available in anodised black or raw polished aluminium, which is designed to patina over time. As the first collaboration between Rakumba and Adam Goodrum, Hangman represents a playful innovation and a desire to always push design beyond its limits. “Behind the simplicity of Hangman hides complex engineering,” Adam notes, “a paradoxical design problem resolved through collaboration with Rakumba’s incredible nous.”