For a fourth-year university project, we were tasked with developing a light installation suitable for an everyday environment.
The project commenced with initial sketches and progressed to a detailed 3D design using SketchUp. One of the major challenges encountered during this project was constructing the SketchUp model itself, specifically due to the incorporation of curved elements on two axes. To overcome this obstacle, I had to seek out and implement a new plug-in. Fortunately, once this hurdle was overcome, the subsequent steps in the process, such as making necessary adjustments to the STL file for compatibility with a 3D printer, proceeded relatively smoothly. The light itself was based on the rise and fall of our natural world when displayed in a topographical map. The dips and curves displayed over the four tiers are representative of a mountain, with soft, warm light diffused through each.
Rise & Fall Light
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Reading topographical maps, and creating quick sketches developed my idea of a multi-tiered, neutral light installation.
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This model was immediately created in SketchUp, starting as separate curved cylinders, before being converted to an STL file for 3D printing. Thin plastic filament was used to print these four layers and base over 18 hours. Then, all the layers were slotted together, before wiring in strip LED lights into the base, which then refract upwards through each layer as a dissipated, soft glow.
The Process:
