I am interested in creating a wooden sculpture which ignites and burns using refraction of sunlight. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of starting a fire with a magnifying glass, yet never tried experimenting with it. My initial idea, sketched below, consists of a hanging sphere with a lens situated in the top corner which focuses light onto a point and ignites a flammable material.
Based on this initial concept, I have developed a few ideas for the exterior of the sculpture shown below. The first being a face, which I like as it would allow flames to exit through the eyes or head. My second idea is a geometric shape which changes as the flame burns. I have found metal fire place sculptures offer good inspiration as I develop these ideas, some of my favorites are also shown below.
Some aspects I’ve been considering while developing these concepts are the flammable material, method of woodworking, use of heat resistant components and time of day for ignition. Starting a fire with a lens requires adjusting the focus until the light is completely concentrated to one point, so to aid in this process I want to use a highly flammable material. For a woodworking method, I have considered laser cutting, sculpting and sawing. Incorporating heat resistant materials will be useful for keeping key structural components intact, such as the chain I want to hang it from. Finally, the time of day is an important consideration as the burn would be aesthetically pleasing at night, yet sunlight is required for the ignition. Therefore, I am considering trying to light the sculpture in the evening and drawing out the burn into the night.
Great concept! I like the idea of the impermeant aspect of this sculpture, as well as the idea of something remaining behind.
This might get a little dangerous, but there are chemicals/minerals that can change the color fire if you can think of a way to incorporate that — you could get some crazy color variation.
Other than that, I think you should spend some time thinking about how you are planning to suspend the sculpture. I don’t really know what your space is so I can’t really give any suggestions, but it would suck if your sculpture would fall at any point during the process.
You have a very unique idea and it’s very interesting to think about the concept of a sculpture essentially self destructing. I like the concept of a face, or the fire-breathing dragon that you included as inspiration.
Your idea is awesome! I think it would be super cool to do something like the video I mentioned in class: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QeZ8ZxtPxQQ. Something like a blooming pod with a lens in the middle to act as the center of the “flower” could be really cool!
Your concept of a wooden sculpture that ignites using sunlight refraction is innovative. The idea of your flammable material burning away but the frame not and maybe revealing something new or a new way of looking at it could be something to explore. Consider using heat-resistant materials to maintain the structure and experimenting with different flammable materials for optimal ignition, like alcohol-soaked cotton balls.
I really love this idea and I think there’s a lot of ways you can take it. Definitely be safe, I would not do any of the burning alone and 100% have a fire extinguisher on you. That being said I really like the structures with more of a concrete shape to them and can’t wait to see what you end up with for your final project!