Time for DIO.r

I knew if I were to build a contraption that makes rainbows, I needed to pay tribute to the man who sang about them, Ronnie James Dio. Also, it is at this point where much of the machine was approaching finished.

Taking Shape

I begin to work a plan to house all my wires and behind the scenes action.

If only I planned better and kept to it, my work could be much better. Sometimes I'm shocked at the results I get in such short periods.

Supplies and ideas!

After a trip to American Science and Surplus in which I bought I variety of bearings, I new I had to approach the design comparable to a turntable. With the prisms lying flat and the light shining directly on. After a few minutes on Amazon, I found some more ingredients.

Rainbow (in the dark) Maker

While normally I try to have my work rooted in concept, sometimes it's good to just have fun. This was going to be the approach for my final project. One, I wanted to challenge myself with my project, and second, I wanted it to be fun. What is more funny than Ronnie James Dio and a rainbow maker? Nothing. Can I make a rainbow machine. My initial designs involved single prisms and lenses. In no time realized that was not going to work. I had to find some...

Inspiration:

Details and Finishing

sanded, painted, and coated box

The completed box.

Where Sound Becomes Sight

I found a real simple wiring to achieve my goals for this project. I didn't even need to use a breadboard, which can be helpful in future, smaller configurations. This is powered by a 9 volt adapter. Instead of a single LED a strip is used.

Connected and working.

We got the beat.

Anytime changes must be made within a project, it is important to assess the possible reasons behind change and use that knowledge to shape any further work. While I am excited by the work others are able to do, I needed to acknowledge my current limitations and devise a plan that will work with what I know and how it can be applied to the art I am making. Light and transparency have been at the core of much of the work I have been creating, so I decided to experiment with some acrylic and the kiln.

After creating several different forms, I chose the one that best resembles the flow of sound and light. I built a simple box form that will eventually house my electronics and showcase the ellegant form.

Since I knew I did not want the electronic portion of the sculpture to be seen, other than the light from the LEDs, I sandblasted the acrylic to give it a frosted look.

Synthesized Synesthesia

After stumbling with my initial idea, I was forced to go back to the drawing board and figure out what I could create to satisfy my current prompt. After some failures with servos, I wanted to say away from the kinetic possibilities of the project and focus more on the interactive portion. Since I already purchased a 300 light strip of LEDs and many of my ideations centered around the use of them, it would not be hard to come up with a new plan.

In  a attempt to find where sculpture and technology can cohabit without one overpowering the other I wanted to explore light and the distortion of it. A beautiful form can be made from the simple melting and shaping of an acrylic sheet, add a little light from some L.E.D.s and some music and  a truly poetic piece may emerge. Audio Visualization. A synthesized synesthesia.