TRAFFIC LIGHT

Role

Time

Type

Team

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Maker

November 2023

Mechatronic Art

Individual Project

A Microcosm of Humanity Hidden in a Traffic Light

For this piece we were asked to "transform the interior" of some space, and I chose the interior of a traffic light. Inside each bulb of the traffic light live groups of miniature people who all have very different responses to 'the light' in their world.

The red-light people fear the light and so they attack it in defense. The yellow-light people are in awe of the light, so they worship it. The green-light people are inspired by the light and attempt to harness its power. Each of these responses has been echoed by many civilizations across history.

Production

The exterior of the light was modeled in SolidWorks and was 3D printed in six pieces. The people inside are toy army figures carved, melted, and painted to represent different people. The domes of each light were cut from large clear Christmas baubles.

The LEDs inside this light are all connected to the microcontroller which can be seen in the green-light. They are programmed to flash in the classic stop light pattern. The whole thing is designed to be hung from a string coming out of the top box.

A Microcosm of Humanity Hidden in a Traffic Light

For this piece we were asked to "transform the interior" of some space, and I chose the interior of a traffic light. Inside each bulb of the traffic light live groups of miniature people who all have very different responses to 'the light' in their world.

The red-light people fear the light and so they attack it in defense. The yellow-light people are in awe of the light, so they worship it. The green-light people are inspired by the light and attempt to harness its power. Each of these responses has been echoed by many civilizations across history.

Production

The exterior of the light was modeled in SolidWorks and was 3D printed in six pieces. The people inside are toy army figures carved, melted, and painted to represent different people. The domes of each light were cut from large clear Christmas baubles.

The LEDs inside this light are all connected to the microcontroller which can be seen in the green-light. They are programmed to flash in the classic stop light pattern. The whole thing is designed to be hung from a string coming out of the top box.

A Microcosm of Humanity Hidden in a Traffic Light

For this piece we were asked to "transform the interior" of some space, and I chose the interior of a traffic light. Inside each bulb of the traffic light live groups of miniature people who all have very different responses to 'the light' in their world.

The red-light people fear the light and so they attack it in defense. The yellow-light people are in awe of the light, so they worship it. The green-light people are inspired by the light and attempt to harness its power. Each of these responses has been echoed by many civilizations across history.

Production

The exterior of the light was modeled in SolidWorks and was 3D printed in six pieces. The people inside are toy army figures carved, melted, and painted to represent different people. The domes of each light were cut from large clear Christmas baubles.

The LEDs inside this light are all connected to the microcontroller which can be seen in the green-light. They are programmed to flash in the classic stop light pattern. The whole thing is designed to be hung from a string coming out of the top box.