When making a paper lamp with an LED inside, the most difficult part was where to incorporate the LED so that it was stable and can stand on its own. Initially I wanted to use the LED in a purposeful way. While this paper prototype is not the greatest, it could function as a lamp if it absolutely had to.  Building the shape of the lamp was easy enough, but figuring out where to attach the LED was another story. Eventually I attached it to its side allowing it to still stand up. After evaluating it, I wonder how many improvements I could make if I used different materials like glue instead of tape, or a more hard and heavy paper type.

In this process I learned a little about the possibilities and limits of simple circuits. I learned how to incorporate something technical into a very simple 2-dimensional small paper structure. The LED added a new component; the structure went from a figurative lamp where the usage was implied and imagined to a functioning lamp that could actually be used. It made the object feel more real. It was really challenging to figure out where to properly place the batter and LED without it obscuring the structure as a whole. It was fun to turn off the lights and look at my little functioning lamp that I made through a fairly simple process. It’s interesting to make things like this because I think of the heavier duty lamps being made and I realize I don’t need fancy equipment to make one. Not needing expensive heavy duty material is an aspect that has been showing up in our projects.

Art education has huge component revolving around materials and their usage. When you give students two components and ask them to implement them in a way together, the possibilities can be endless leaving room for a diverse range of outcomes. I would not be afraid to use this process with younger children based on its simplicity. Kids are usually asked to work with paper as a material, adding the LED’s might be a fun twist for them. It allows them to combine simple circuitry into their paper crafts.