Serendipity

You kind of feel that you are on the right track when you are looking for a way forward and the metaphorical doors open.

I have to admit that when it comes to electricity, lights, LED, programming possibilities, energy sources, battery capacities … … it is all a foreign language and a strange land to me.

I sense a steep learning curve ahead.

And then a friend tells me that her son was working on a project at his high school, and I should talk to him. Not only that, but she also mentions my project to the teacher, and it turns out that the school is interested in a “real life collaborative project”.

This is really exciting! At the meeting with the teachers I learn that All Saints’ College has HotHouse and PropellerEnterprises. On the ASC web site I learn that the HotHouse is an incubation environment where unique and experimental ideas are given the necessary raw materials to grow into whatever they are destined to be; and Propeller is new hub for innovation at All Saints’ College. I think I fit right in!

And so, I have packed up Seed -

 "sculpture in progress" and transported it to the All Saints' College.

A few images from the brainstorming/workshop sessions with the students. I was really too busy to take photos.....

To make it easier for us to work, I have made several models of the Seed,and it made me understand its geometry better.

Here is the net:

Folding lines are blue, orange and beige are the edges of the tiles.

If any of you want to make your own model, print this image full size on A4 page 3 times:

Next week will be our last session together as the school year is drawing to a close, and some of the participants will be already on the school camp. We have made good progress in problem solving LED lights positioning and programming, but there is still a way to go before the sculpture is finished.

Ideas bubbling

This sculpture has several new elements that I need to investigate, and at this stage I don’t know if I can achieve what I am looking for.

Unlike the previous sculptures where I was looking for the light, airy, delicate and almost weightless feel, this one doesn’t have the look-through-holes and I want it to feel solid and dense. It is a Seed, full of life potential, not an empty husk.

I know that no matter how much I try; there will be the inevitable gaps between the clay tiles and the empty space inside will be visible. I don’t want to create solid wall (like concrete) and grout the tiles on… I still need to be able to move the sculpture without the heavy machinery, so in looking for other options I started thinking about LED lights. 

Not long ago I attended the “show and tell” by company called Light Applications which have designed lighting for many public art installations. I was intrigued and inspired to include (if possible) some lights in my work….and so the idea of the LED light “travelling” through the gaps in the tiles, reminiscent of the neurons firing in the brain, started to take shape…

The first challenge is…I know frustratingly little about lights. To me they are just magic to be enjoyed. Where do I start?