Melankoli was an incredibly satisfying outcome to a long, arduous process of production. Through the course of the quarter, we faced challenges with vacuum forming, laser cutting, soldering, fried NeoPixels, and Arduino programming. In the end, however, we were able to successfully achieve our vision.
The tripod dowels, made of oak, nest beautifully in the giant white polystyrene shell. The 12" round mirror is surrounded with a semi-transparent white acrylic ring, which diffuses the light from within the shell. A clear acrylic plate secures the mirror and the ring together fastening the set into the shell. This plate is also used to install a close-range infrared sensor and the NeoPixels, individually programmable RGB lights, around the back of the mirror. The lights and sensor are controlled by an Arduino, a microcontroller, which is given a program to run through software based on the Processing programming language. Our program tells the Arduino to use the sensor’s input and translate that data to output through the NeoPixels. When a person is absent, there is no light, but as a person steps into the sensor’s field of range, the light activates, growing brighter as the person approaches the mirror. There are also countless other programs that could be uploaded to the Arduino to achieve different interactions between the light and the person that stands in front of it.
The form is lightweight, airy, almost transparent, especially with the mirror reflecting the surrounding light, opening up the space that it inhabits.
Designed by Christoffer Hart & Eric Freistadt