Gail Alderson - Shapeworld

Context

After visiting Dark Matter in Berlin, I was inspired to create a little light show of my own. I completed this project over the course of a few days, just for fun.

Approach

materials

One way acrylic mirror
Two way acrylic mirror
Clear acrylic sheet (for cutting out sides and inner shape)
3mm tape
LED light strip (2812B, non-waterproof)
Circuit building materials (jumper wires, 100uF capacitor, 330 ohm resistor, breadboard, push button)
Arduino Nano

fig. 1materials

Materials laid out for building Shapeworld, including acrylic pieces, mirrors, and LED strip. — fig. 1materials

fig. 2Fusion 360 mockup

Fusion 360 mockup — fig. 2Fusion 360 mockup

Making

Create design: Fusion 360, schematic, Illustrator SVG file
Build the frame: laser cut acrylic pieces, sand acrylic, adhere sidewalls
Program the lights: create circuit, program Arduino
Put it all together: adhere frame to both mirrors

fig. 3schematics, just for my own reference during assembly

schematics, just for my own reference during assembly — fig. 3schematics, just for my own reference during assembly

fig. 4SVG file for laser cutting

SVG file for laser cutting — fig. 4SVG file for laser cutting

fig. 5laser cut acrylic pieces (with protective layer still on)

laser cut acrylic pieces (with protective layer still on) — fig. 5laser cut acrylic pieces (with protective layer still on)

fig. 6sand acrylic with 220 grit sandpaper to "frost"

sand acrylic with 220 grit sandpaper to "frost" — fig. 6sand acrylic with 220 grit sandpaper to "frost"

fig. 7assemble frames

assemble frames — fig. 7assemble frames

fig. 8add lights

add lights — fig. 8add lights

fig. 9circuit design for programmed lights

circuit design for programmed lights — fig. 9circuit design for programmed lights

Outcome

fig. 10shapeworld, lights on

shapeworld, lights on — fig. 10shapeworld, lights on

Square acrylic frame with RGB LED strip lit in a rainbow gradient during assembly.

Arduino Nano prototype on a breadboard with wiring and a push button.

Finished Shapeworld piece glowing purple with an infinity-mirror depth effect.

Top-down view of the Shapeworld infinity tunnel lit in warm yellow LEDs.

fig. 15shapeworld, in motion