LED moving chandelier
Description
LED moving chandelier is an experiment in electronic furnishing. This chandelier consists of moving individual LEDs that move along the Y axis. The behaviour of the LEDs will be randomized to create a visual experience to lose yourself in. Similar to how one can stare into a fire for long periods of time, this project will attempt to do the same.
Context
This project is inspired by three sources. Chandeliers, kinetic sculpture found in the BMW museum in Munich, and a nuit blanche exhibit. Chandeliers are beautiful light fixtures that bring beauty into a room. They are fixtures that are center pieces of a room.
The BMW kinetic sculpture is a collection of small silver balls that are suspended in the air. The behaviour of the balls are chaotic at first but then position themselves to be in the shape of a BMW car. Each ball is controlled by a stepper motor to adjust the height of the ball.
The Nuit Blanche exhibit is called Melting Point. It was displayed at Fort York. The installation consists of an array of lights that stretch down from the top of the hill to the bottom. The lights are connected to a sound system that put out the sounds of when Fort York was still a military base defending the town of York. The lights brighten and dim to the sounds of the chatter of soldiers, the grass blowing in the wind and the occasional firing of the cannons. The colour and intensity of the lights are responsive to what sounds are being played. When the cannons fire, the lights glow in a bright red towards the bottom of the hill.
Purpose
This is an experiment to see how well technology and furniture can mix together. Will the chandelier be aesthetically pleasing or will the movement of the chandelier be gimmicky. Could this be a light installation that would be the center piece of a room? Similar to a fireplace, can this installation serve as an object to stare at and lose yourself in?
Technical Strategy
The chandelier will consist of three parts. The base, the wires, and the LEDs. The base of the chandelier will house the major components of the project. These components are the following: 10 stepper motors, arduino, batteries. Each stepper motor will have a wheel that will have copper wire wrapped around it. This will allow the copper wire to be wrapper and unwrapped.
