Research & Troubleshooting:

Last week I looked into available resources online on arduino and mini speaker. I found a tutorial that it easy to implement with a thorough instruction on microcontroller connections and access to github on code. Apart from the speaker component of my chandelier, I want to make the music to activate with light sensor. I’m currently in the stage where I’m tinkering with code. I ordered some arduino parts (SD card adapter, mini SD card, and speaker)  from Amazon and hope to play with the hardware components once the part has arrived (hopefully by Monday).

Explorations/ testing/ Reflection

This week I made a draft of my design. Inspired by The Beatles song “Blackbird.” I want explore different materials that represent bird, freedom, and oppression. (Lyrics below).

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Black-bird fly

Black-bird fly, into the light of a dark black night

Black-bird fly

Black-bird fly, into the light of a dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise

you were only waiting for this moment to arise

you were only waiting for this moment to arise

During class, I’ve listened to the song in loop and listed out 5 words that stood out from the lyrics: 1) fly, 2) light, 3) broken wings, 4) waiting, 5) free. The word light can be easily represented by chandelier. “Fly” and “Free” can be portrayed through different actions and variation of bird. The picture below is my plan in term of atheistic and design. I thought of origami design of bird as it doesn’t look like a free bird. It gives me the feeling  that they are “waiting to be free”.

 

My next stage:

1. Create a prototype of the chandelier with illustrator and laser cut in on a cardboard.
2. Work on my code on arduino
3. Physical computing project: combine chandelier and arduino together!

Short term:

keep designing chandelier variation on illustrator. I also want to try out different materials like feather and construction paper for the structure of the chandelier.