Modular 3D Lite-Brite System

My second weekly assignment for Despina Papadopoulos‘ Softness course was to create a modular system. In class we discussed a variety of current modules ranging in application from architecture to computer interfaces. I really enjoyed my classmate Petra’s example which demonstrated a physical representation of a modular type face. Having been a Lego maniac as a young gun, I was excited to explore modularity from a very intuitive perspective, and wanted to achieve a building toolkit with small reconfigurable pieces. I had ideas of exploring modular fabric pieces capable of conducting electricity. A bit short on the right materials, I was fortunate enough to listen to Vik Muniz’s presentation about his work creating visual art through a variety of different mediums.

Always interested in drawings and the interpretation of image, Muniz has explored a physical manifestation of pointilism in some of his work. I realized that his work emphasizes the importance of scale, resolution, and perspective to deliver an image to the viewer. Viewed from too close a vantage point, much of his work appears to be nothing more than a sloppy mess of caviar, chocolate, or trash, but viewed from the proper vantage point his image is revealed and you are most likely shocked and awed.

After viewing the Vik’s presentation, I was helping a my classmate Amy Khoshbin to create a simple version of a paint program in Processing when we got to talking about traditional pointilism. We decided to fix her application to only allow the user to create images through small colored circles. After our talk, I focused my efforts on trying to create a physical representation of that form of expression through a modularity.

I created stackable light discs out of PVC, wooden dowels, nails, and LEDs which power each other when placed on a conductive surface. The top top and bottom of each disc connect to power and the sides of the discs connect to ground. This way, hundreds of discs could be placed on the conductive surface–each disc grounding or powering an adjacent one. To complete my idea, I created a conductive base with the floor of the base providing power and the sides connected to ground. At least one disc must be placed so that it touches the side wall of the base in order for the circuit to be completed. I connected a power supply to a 5v voltage regulator to supply the juice for my project. I stepped down the voltage through a 220 ohm resistor before connecting power to the base. The LEDs within the discs are connected in parallel so that an unlimited number of them may be arranged to create beautiful 3D images with light. Please use your imagination to fill out the surface with hundreds of different colored, stackable light disks. Future expansions on the project will include a ball bearing surface for smooth rolling goodness.