#LightUpPopUpTober Cardboard Automata

This October, I took part once again in a wonderful online community event hosted by my friends at Chibitronics where artists, makers and tinkerers from around the world built light-up pop-up creations based on prompts from Keith Allen of #poptober fame. 

After making a ‘recycled’ themed project last year I wanted to focus this time on combining LED paper circuits with automata mechanisms. I was inspired by the work of artist Fi Henshall who has incorporated light-up elements into some of her designs and I was able to explore this idea with the participants in the just completed Automata Global Tinkering Workshop with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. 

I was assigned the prompt SCATTER which could accurately describe my mental state or the physical materials spread across my workspace. But instead of these more metaphorical directions I decided to try to make the light scatter and refract when hitting a disco ball. 

For the first prototype I used wire, copper tape, 5mm foam, batteries, zip-ties and more to create a flashing light-scattering effect. Creating a hand-cranked moving switch isn't easy and I wanted to keep experimenting even past the deadline for sharing. 

So I made a second version that was a bit more refined with a lever switch where the vertical rod rested in a little boba straw holder. I found that having just a little bit of movement for the lever was better so that the switch was more controlled. 

I used the fabric tape to make a gap in the circuit and then covered the underside of the lever with aluminum foil to make the connection. The flexible materials allowed for lots of experimentation with multiple lights and different colors. I used a combination of disco balls, mylar and sequined fabric to experiment with the effect. 

I’m excited to keep exploring this pathway of combining cardboard automata and paper circuits. It would also be really fun to build these into some of Rob Ives’ amazing mechanisms that he also shared in our online workshop. And as a next step I would like to think about how to integrate this concept into an automata with more story or characters or integrate the learnings into a project like the St. Martins Day lanterns. 

Check out the entire collection of #lightuppopuptober creations and join us next year for another round of creative and experimental tinkering.