Circuit Card

Focus Question:  How can simple circuits add meaning to an image?
I wanted to create a card for my fiancé. As I reflected on the assignment and envisioned the feeling and personal message that I wanted the card to express , my mind immediately wanted to take advantage of the use of light to represent something of a celestial, vibrationally connected and spiritually alligned nature. The classroom materials that I chose to gather, my use of collage and my creative choices were carefully planned and based off of how I wanted the use of light to reflect a personal message dedicated to my fiancé. The fact that we had to use a simple circuit helped to direct some of the choices that I made visually and aesthetically. All visuals tell a story to some degree and the use of the simple circuit to create light added another layer of depth to that visual story telling. It gave the image life.

What did you learn? Describe your learning process. What was most challenging?  What was most fun?
The creative process for this assignment was interesting. I found myself to be more emotionally engaged with this assignment than I have been with previous assignments for this class – perhaps because we were asked to dedicate it to someone we cared about – There was a little more room to put ourselves into this assignment. Besides, of course, learning how to create the paper battery holder, I also learned a bit more about how I navigate on an artistic internal level when asked to add and work with an extra element like light. There were times where I felt resistance within myself towards the mechanical nature of incorporating the circuit and I had to allow myself to sit with that discomfort. The most challenging part was that I struggled to get the lights to work consistently. Despite my carefully crafted circuit the LED’s had trouble staying lit unless I would apply extra pressure with my fingers to the LED legs against the copper tape. I tried taping them down to create extra pressure and I tried bending the LED legs at different angles to give more contact but it still seems to be finicky. Regardless, I still enjoy the results of my final product. The most fun was watching my ideas unfold as I brainstormed, gathered my materials, arranged and crafted my card.

How did this activity connect (or not) to your prior knowledge of art and art education? How might you use and/or adapt this activity in an art classroom?
I’ve never worked with simple circuit lights before this class but I enjoyed the many different levels of making that were involved in this specific assignment. There is something educational and exciting about the multidimensional experience that comes from combining visuals with other elements (light, sound, etc..). I imagined using this activity in a classroom to create card mobiles. The cards could either be dedications to someone special like we did or they could be personal goals/dreams, or even get well cards -At the end, putting them all together as a mobile would almost create this interesting and unified hanging sculpture of light.