19. Application & Implication¶
Applications and Implications, Project Development¶
What will it do?¶
The project is a kinetic sculpture driven by rotary capacitive touch pads and a sonic interpretation of the sea. Two transparent dodecahedrons, nested inside one another, rotate on different axes and rotational planes, with the geometry of each derived directly from the dodecahedron itself — a nod to arabesque sensibilities and their mathematical structure. At the center, a single constant light source casts shifting, layered patterns of light and shadow through the rotating shells. The piece operates in two modes:
- Automatic mode — a meditation on the present moment. The outer shell moves to the rhythm of waves, evoking a sea separated from us on ethnic grounds; the inner shell moves like a clock, on a different axis and temporal logic. The interplay between the two speaks to different experiences of time felt moving in and out of Palestine.
- Interactive mode — one or two capacitive rotary pads let people directly control the two geometries, one pad per shell. This turns the sculpture into a social instrument: two people can interact through the device, or one person can explore both planes independently.
Created in the context of coming to IAAC amid war, genocide, and an apartheid system in Palestine, the work carries an explicit political and emotional charge.
Who has done this beforehand?¶
The project sits in the tradition of kinetic and mechanized sculpture:
| Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Alexander Calder | Pioneering mobiles; motion as core sculptural meaning |
| Jean Tinguely | Precisely engineered mechanical works exploring rhythm and machine logic |
| Contemporary computational/robotic art | Movement driven by embedded systems, sensors, generative logic |
| Reuben Heyday Margolin | Most direct influence — translates natural rhythmic phenomena (water motion) into mechanical form through geometric engineering |
Technical references and tutorials drawn on:
- Rhino / Grasshopper — simulating and designing rotational movement
- Bevel gear design — gears at non-standard angles matching dodecahedron geometry
- Capacitive touch — designing and programming the rotary touch pad interface
- Stepper motor control — programming precise rotational movement
What will you design?¶
Geometries & structure — two dodecahedrons built from resin-printed joints fitted to 5mm wooden rods, forming two nested skeletal shells. The axial system — three concentric tubes:
Inner shaft drives the inner geometry via stepper 1 and a clamped gear system Middle shaft is fixed, acting as a structural spine Outer shaft drives the outer geometry via a second stepper and equivalent gear system Bevel gears on both systems are designed at the rotational angles derived from the dodecahedron’s own geometry
Electronics — two custom PCBs:
Motherboard — pentagon-shaped ESP32 board, capable of driving up to three stepper motors Touch board — wireless board connected to the rotary capacitive pads, communicating with the motherboard
Materials, components, and where they’ll come from¶
Almost everything is designed and produced in-house; only metal tubing and axial components are bought pre-made and cut to size.
| Material/Component | Source | Notes | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resin | In-house (SLA printer) | Joints, gear components | €25 |
| Wood rods | Purchased, cut to size | 5mm standard dowels | €10 |
| Metal tubing | Purchased, cut to size | Three-shaft axial system | €30 |
| Stepper motors | Purchased | Bipolar, paired with Pololu A4988 drivers | €40 |
| ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | Purchased | Main microcontroller | €15 |
| Custom PCBs | In-house | Designed in KiCad, produced in-house | €20 |
| Wireless link | — | ESP-NOW protocol, board to board | — |
| Touch pad | In-house | Resin/sand cast, copper cathodes | €10 |
| Silicone | Purchased | Molding for touch pad | €15 |
Total estimated cost: ~€165
Cost Summary¶
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Metal tubing | €30 |
| ESP32 modules, steppers, PCB materials, resin, axial hardware | Available through the lab shop |
| Estimated total | ~€165 |
Keeping the majority of fabrication in-house keeps overall cost low; the main expenses are components and materials rather than labor or outsourced production.
What questions need to be answered?¶
- Can two independently rotating geometries, on non-parallel axes, share a structure without colliding with each other or their own drive system?
- Can bevel gears be designed and meshed correctly at the dodecahedron’s native angle (109.471°), beyond standard 90° tooling?
- Can a rotary capacitive interface reliably translate touch position into precise angular control?
- Does the finished piece communicate its themes — time, distance, longing — without requiring explanation?
How will it be evaluated?¶
- Does the piece actually move — fluidly, continuously, and with intention?
- Does the interplay between the two rotating shells generate a felt tension or rhythm — a conversation between planes?
- Does the light at the center feel alive moving through the geometry, rather than mechanical?
- Does the interactive element genuinely open the piece to others — two people in dialogue through it, or one person absorbed in it alone?
- Does the piece hold together as a whole, carrying its references (wave, geometry, time, longing) lightly enough to be felt without being explained?
Project Timeline¶
The project is scoped for roughly two months of development and implementation:
| Week | Phase | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1–2 | Geometry & simulation | Dodecahedron study, Grasshopper rotation simulation |
| Week 3–4 | Mechanism design | Shaft system, bevel gear design and fabrication |
| Week 5 | Structure | Resin joints, wood rod assembly |
| Week 6 | Electronics | Motherboard and touch board design, PCB production |
| Week 7 | Touch interface | Rotary pad casting, capacitive calibration |
| Week 8 | Assembly & programming | Spiral development — single shaft, two-axis, full system, touch integration |
| Week 9 | Final integration | Light source, full automatic and interactive mode testing |
This pacing leaves the later weeks for refinement and troubleshooting rather than treating the final week as a hard deadline for first contact between subsystems.