My first panel, which was a folded snowflake experiment, turned out to make the least dynamic shadows.  The panel was a valuable exercise, in that I learned that by creating a light reflecting surface within the panel (a sheet of yellow trace), I was able to create filtered lighting effects within the panel.

My second panel, built from a sheet of paper and a piece of fishing wire, worked more with the manipulation of light through the movement of the panel.  By adjusting the tension on the string, I was able to manipulate the apertures in the panel and create more dramatic and variable lighting effects.

My last two light experiments were manipulations of found objects – packaging materials.  (My mother sent me a bottle of wine, and I was most excited about the bubble wrap and paper it was packaged in.)  The dynamic qualities of these images are a result of the materials overlapping upon themselves.  I love that you cannot determine whether the image is the material itself, the material’s shadow, or a combination of the two.

I would like to move forward with my studies by thinking about how these 12 x 12 panel experiments could transform into the creation of a light fixture that both filters lights and allows for dynamic, user controlled manipulation.