10/7 - Semester Project Proposal

LINK TO PRESENTATION

For my semester project, I hope to continue my path of creating work representative of my culture. I have recently been interested in astronomical events and topics and I realized that there may be some basis to that other than just thinking space is cool. I am Muslim and in my religion, we follow the lunar calendar. All of our most significant dates and holidays fall upon a specific lunar date. The phase of the moon is something that is constantly noted and determines the end and beginning of certain practices, such as the end of fasting for Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr. The significance of these moon phases in regards to Islam is what I would like my semester project to reflect.

I hope to create an interactive, light-based sculpture that illustrates the phases of the moon in an Islamic context. I wish to utilize photocells (also known as photoresistors) as well as some 3D modeling and printing to make the sculpture. I imagine a scenario in which the viewer imparts some light upon the piece and it reacts to that light, creating an image before them that represents a significant Islamic date. My vision for the final product is that the interaction between viewer and sculpture  will invoke a sense of wonder and feelings of spirituality.