Art and Technology
Helena's diploma project at Talsi Art School β a sculpture with built-in electronics.
The Idea
At the centre is a cat on a spacecraft β NASA Space Shuttle Discovery. The shape was modelled in clay, then cast in a reusable silicone and plaster mould, and poured in concrete.
Tubes and foam were added inside to leave room for electronics. The project combines artistic form with lights, fog and sound β much like our robotics work, where many systems have to fit into one build.
How It Was Built
First clay. Then a silicone and plaster mould that can be reused. Concrete casting, with an internal structure of tubes and foam for the electronics.
Graduation was the hard deadline. By then many earlier deadlines had already been missed, so the electronics were assembled in a rush. The piece works and was submitted, but it is not the best possible version yet β some connections still need fixing.
The summer plan is to tidy up wiring, repair what only partly works, and finish what was left halfway done.
LEDs and Colour
Three colour LEDs at the rear with shared colour control β only one works so far. There are also several standard LEDs with fixed colours; some lost contact, so the colour is wrong. A short addressable LED strip runs along the back as well.
Foggers
Four foggers β two paired to one control line. They worked on graduation day, but after a last-minute power change they no longer ran properly. Water lasted roughly 40β80 minutes.
Response
Speakers were planned β for example a Discovery launch sound. There was also a sound sensor so that when someone approaches, the foggers turn on instead of running all the time and wasting water.
Current State
The diploma was submitted and shown at graduation. It works, but many things are again βbarely holding togetherβ β not because the idea fails, but because there was only enough time to reach the graduation deadline.
For example: only one of three colour LEDs at the rear works; some standard LEDs have bad contact; the foggers no longer run fully after the last changes. The plan is to fix all of this more calmly over the summer.
Related Links
Talsi Art School on Facebook β posts about graduation and final projects.