I originally wanted to create something that conveyed a sense of networked connectedness while at the same time drawing inspiration from the natural world. This took the form of a reflective aluminum foil sculpted tree with EL wire woven through and around the roots, trunk and branches. The foil served to reflect and diffuse the light from the EL wire, allowing it to spread and blend into the surface of the tree. The different wire colors and independent control of each allowed the piece to show the seasons of the year on the tree as well.
The materials used were quite simple; 5×6′ EL wire of differing colors, 5xController boards (one for each strand), a box of household tinfoil, a small piece of plywood and some black spray-paint
Here is an image gallery because I was unable to upload most of the images to WordPress due to file sizes https://imgur.com/a/qi9L1mH
Light Art Mario Castro
I think that you final project is really amazing, the trunk looks so professional and I love the abstract way you hung the el wires on the tree. This project is amazing!
Your project really came together well. Also, the el wire looks great reflecting off the foil. I like that the way you attached the wires looks like the leaves of the tree. Also, in the winter season, I like that it looks like all the leaves have fallen off and snow is laying on top of the branches.
I really enjoy the incorporation of the different seasons with the different color EL wires. It is very creative and shows that you really thought about your project a lot.
I’m very impressed with how you were able to have all the overlapping colors without them interfering with each other to have an amazing looking final product!
Im really impressed with how well you were able to tightly pack all the different bands of wire around the tree which allowed you to fit all the different seasons into your project. Also the clean camera work with the black background makes it look even better.
Your final piece looks amazing! Your pictures turned out so well and I’m really impressed on how you were able to capture aura of each of the seasons. I loved when your video got close up to the wire and tin foil so you could really see the reflection of the light off of the surface.
I think you couldn’t have chosen better materials for this project. The way you film in complete darkness makes the EL wire completely pop, almost as if it was rendered. The colors are bright and recognizable. Overall, it is an incredibly clean project.