An Idea Takes Root

Posted on October 23, 2013

Ok, collaborative project update. Still very much in the planing stage, but I wanted to share the process. I’m into making sculptural felt pieces, and my son is passionate about making electronics. I have in my head the idea of an interactive piece of felt. I love how tactile wool is and how much people like to touch it. With this in mind, I want to make something that responds when you pick it up. For some reason I though of a water lily set in a wooden base that you would hold. The center would be hollow glass with LEDs. The light would change based on different inputs.

I set my son on a hunt to find a micro-controller that would fit our size requirements and could be programmed with my son’s knowledge. This is what he came up with : the Lilypad Arduino.

Hey, the name even matches ! When I talked to my friend Natali about doing the glass piece for me, she mentioned she was quite into water lilies for a recent project; a very cool collaborative collection of art for producing a Tarot deck.

So everything is coming up water lilies. I think we’re on the right path!