SD Idea #3- Sculpture

Topic:

For this idea, I would create a mobile sculpture which uses lighting that would be used in a room. Instead of using a traditional light source, this sculpture will be used for the lighting of the room. 

Problem I am Trying to Solve:

I am thinking about conserving energy because we are all prone to being wasteful of almost everything, especially energy. If we could get our light source from an object that may not even have to be plugged into the wall and adds to the total look of a space, I think that would be an interesting project.  I want to show people that lighting can be aesthetically pleasing while still serving a purpose. If I could do that while saving energy, this project will be very fulfilling.

Why I Would Like to Solve This Problem/Issue:

Lights and shadows have always been interesting to me because lights can add to a space or distract the viewers. I think having a light source coming from a piece of art would be very fulfilling because I don't see that and I think many modern homes could actually benefit from this idea. I enjoy art and designing, so I think this project could be nice for me to do because I could be as creative as I want while still serving a purpose and benefiting others. Being wasteful is a problem that we all need to be aware of and I think that this project will help that. I know that I forget to turn off the lights when I am from one room to the other, and I think this sculpture will help seeing that no one would have to turn the lights off.

The Learning Stretch:

I love art and 3D models, but I have no idea about lights and wiring, so I would have to do a lot of research to complete this project. I will have to know how different light bulbs work and how to wire everything together. I will have to learn how to do all of this while still creating something aesthetically pleasing. This project will take a long time because I will have to thoroughly understand how lights work and how to power something while not overusing energy. If I can not figure that out, then the whole purpose of this project will be defeated.

Project Components:

For this project, I would have small models of what I want the sculpture to look like. I want it to move with air circulation so the movement of the sculpture won't be powered by electricity. I want to create a SketchUp model of the model and in a room and render it in 3D studio max to get a feeling of what the ideal look of the sculpture would look like. I will make the actual model be about 3 feet, and create a poster of pictures that show different angles of the sculpture.

Budget:

I think this project will cost between $150-$200 because of the lights I would need, the wiring I would need, and the materials for the actual sculptures.

Possible Problems:

I do not want to electrocute myself while creating this project.