Light Sculptures (G9) Fall 2025

Creating your First Post

In this video, we will be talking about creating your very first post. This video talks about basic movement around the website, navigation to a studio and creating content on the website. After this post, consider checking out other videos such as Making the Most Out of Your Posts to get a more advanced look into the editor.

When you are logging into the platform for the first time (and don't know or haven't been given your password), you have two options: 

1. Use Google login (anyone can use, regardless of whether you have a Google email or not)

2. Use the password reset option. 

Both options are detailed below. 

Logging in with Google Authentication 

  1. Head to the top right and click on Log In
  2. Click on Log in with Google Authentication and you'll be brought to the Google Log in page
  3. Choose an account that is registered on our website. This should be your school email or whatever email you signed up to our site with. If you use an email that is not registered in our system, you will encounter an error.


STEP 1: In the top-right corner, click the word "login." 

STEP 2: When the black menu appears, enter your email address, and then enter the password provided


Pattern-Making on Rhino

Dina Chehab

Pattern-making

On Rhino


SHAPE

Prompt
Create a 3D structure from a cut-out cardboard shape, explore the interplay between light and shadow, and observe how adding elements alters the shadow's form.

Materials Needed:

  • A piece of cardboard (approx.A2)
  • Pencil
  • Scissors or craft knife 
  • Glue or tape
  • Flashlight
  • Ruler
  • Paper for sketching

Steps:

  1. Sketch Your Shape (5minutes):
    Begin by sketching a simple shape (e.g., a star, heart, or geometric pattern) onto your piece of cardboard.

  2. Cut Out the Shape (5 minutes):
    Carefully cut out the shape from the cardboard, making sure to keep both the cut-out piece and the negative space (the hole left behind).

  3. First Light Projection (10 minutes):
    Place your cut out in front of a flashlight or lamp in a darkened room. Observe the shadow it casts on the wall or roll of paper.

  4. Build Around the Cut-Out (20 minutes):
    Use the cut-out piece and other cardboard scraps to build a 3D structure around the negative space. Be creative in how you attach and layer the pieces to create depth and form.

  5. Second Light Projection (10 minutes):
    Place your 3D structure in front of a flashlight or lamp in a darkened room. Observe the shadow it casts on the wall or a piece of paper. Compare the new shadow to the original one. Notice how the addition of the cut-out piece alters the shadow’s design.

  6. Document: Create a post in the responses tab with 2 of your photographs

Deliverables:

  1. A completed 3D structure.
  2. Photos of the shadows before and after adding the cut-out piece.
  3. A short reflection on how the addition of the cut-out piece influenced the shadow.

Total Time: 1hour

Introduction To Arduino

Dina Chehab

؜Arduino

Prompt

This activity introduces the basics of working with Arduino and lights. You’ll learn how to connect and program simple circuits to create interactive lighting effects for your project.

Deliverables

Practice and develop your skills by building a small Arduino-powered light circuit. 

Sora Light

Kate James

UK-based design duo Fung + Bedford drew on the Japanese art of origami in the design of this statement light for Danish brand Frandsen.

The Sora pendant light has a horizontal form suspended from two cords and flanked by wing-like protrusions, which make it appear to hover in mid-air.

https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/04/sora-light-fung-bedford-frandsen-dezeen-showroom/

Isamu Noguchi's sculptural Akari lamps

Dina Chehab

Inspired, he began creating the lamps, for which the designer came up with a new name: Akari. "The name Akari, which I coined, means in Japanese 'light as illumination'", Noguchi said, according to Masayo Duus' book The Life of Isamu Noguchi.

"It also suggests lightness as opposed to weight," he added. "The ideograph combines that of the sun and the moon. The quality is poetic, ephemeral, and tentative."

https://www.dezeen.com/2024/10/14/isamu-noguchis-akari-lamps-ephemeral-mid-century-modern/

Shrumen Lumen

Dina Chehab

A garden of five origami mushrooms with caps that expand and contract from a flat umbrella portobello to a bulbous cap when visitors activate them, creating a surprising and delightful experience.

Each mushroom is made of 18 sheets of corrugated plastic, a total of 83 square meters, hand-folded and carefully welded together. A solid mechanical structure made of aluminum and steel defines the shape of the mushroom head. An umbrella-like mechanism powered by an industrial actuator causes the cap to change shape. Pressure pads, located at the base of the mushroom, activate the movement, and at night, over 1,600 LED lights create a spectacle for those near and far. Nearly every one of the hundreds of parts for each mushroom were custom made by the FoldHaus team.

https://www.foldhaus.com/shrumen-lumen