For the circuits creative project, I worked with Grace. Af first, we wanted to create a circuit that lit up Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer's nose when you closed the circuit somewhere near the reigns. Then, when we finally started to work on the project, realized that we are both Jewish and should try to create a menorah instead. The concept was much easier said than done. When trying to execute the project, it was difficult to figure out how to put multiple LED's onto one circuit. Finally, we decided to make an abstract piece so that it moved away from the representational aspect, which was an idea from Sarah's presentation that showed how you could incorporate circuits to fine art.
Our abstract collage in process.
Before we started working with the idea of an abstract work of art, we started by figuring out how to create a simple circuit. Once we did that, we wanted to add another light to the piece to make it look more interesting. But, we ran into the same issue of not knowing how to put two LED's onto one circuit, and we did not want to use another battery to power the circuit. We knew that we could look up online how to simply put another LED onto the circuit, but we wanted to figure it out our own way. I figured that we should just make another simple circuit around the one that we already created but so that it was still meeting at the same point of the battery as the other one. Which basically meant, making two ovals that had one part of both of them closer than the other. Fortunately, the idea worked and one battery could power both of the LED's. The only issue was that they did not always light up at the same time based on how the conductive tape was placed. But, we ended up liking the effect.
Out finished abstract collage.
If I were to do the project over again, I think that I would have kept playing with the conductive tape to figure out the different ways that you could complete a circuit to light an LED. Hopefully, I would have gotten good enough to figure out how to light a menorah. I would also like to explore the idea of incorporating simple circuits into my own art, which could be a great gateway into thinking how to use/implement circuits into a lesson. From the readings, it is clear that maker spaces have the potential to combine fine arts and new media. I hope that in my own classroom that my students will have the option to do either.