Assignment: Create a luminaire with a field of light based on our previous light phenomenon
Believe me, its a lot more complex then it sounds. I was so ready to get to this point of the light project, I just wish I could have prepared myself for the multiple fails and frustrations.
I decided to focus on the shadow that the luminaire cast off. In my head I knew exactly what I wanted to create and of course if came out completely different, but still good.
I began with building a 9x9 inch box with cut outs and adding the black paper triangles to add contrast in color. I used balsa wood because I knew I would be able to hand cut intricate shapes into the panels. I did not take into consideration how fragile and flimsy the balsa wood was and that it would have to support itself and a lightbulb.
I remade the 9x9" box using bass wood instead. I kept the same cut outs but did not include the black paper, because they were blocking most of the light. I also had a problem with the front of the box letting in a lot of light, so I covered it with thin bass wood stripes and painted the inside of the box black.
I wanted the light to appear to be bursting out of the box and casting a shadow into the wall while silhouetting the square figure. I then decided to make a smaller, 6x6 box with more precise cut outs. The smaller box worked really well with a decent shadow.
And then came the final model.
I created a different pattern for the sides of the box to enhance the shadow as much as possible.
I was very pleased with the final product, and hope to continue experimenting with the art of light.
The final phase of the project was to develop a composite drawing on a piece of dark Canson paper including a plan, an elevation, a section, and an expressive rendition of the filed of light created by our luminaire. I was not use to working with the Canson paper that was very textured and took colored pencils differently that a smooth paper.
