swarm:light - processbook

SWARM light

By Itay Galim (ETgalim)

Care and guidance: Aldo Bakker

A behaviour of an aggregate of animals of similar size and body orientation, often moving in mass in

the same direction“

“

Inspiration

The SWARM light Project started with my own personal admiration to the swarm phenomena.

I was always amazed by how accurate the move-ment of 30,000 birds can be, each with a mind of

it’s own, but all together as one.

I wasn’t interested in the science behind the swarm intelligent, I was fascinated by the amazing shapes

created by this fluid movement of many-of-the-same.

The Swam light is made of some 1500 similar paper modules and tries to mimic the movement of the natural swarm by allowing the user to control the

shape of the light fixture.

A lot of attention was put into the light itself. I wanted to use the edge of the paper to disperse

light unevenly across the whole object and allow darker and lighter areas to create a more 3 dimen-

sional shapes as the object transforms.

Process

Early models

Shape change and hanging method for early paper model

Plastic (STL) modules try out... (mmm... NO!)

In many aspects, returning to this concept was returning to the starting line.

This object was first made back in my first year of design studies (and again here at the DAE) as a

“Foldable” object. It demonstrates my ideal view of movement.

It is made of stiff cardboard modules but when weaved together acts almost like a piece of fabric.

It was said to “behave differently then it feels” and in so many aspects that was the feeling I was

looking for in my SWARM light.

Final paper module and LED module

Each module is hand crumpled, folded and glued

Manufacturing process

AKA “the sweatshop”

Folding and soldering JIG

First small model weaving

Final weaving and weaving JIG

1500 paper modules3000 metal hooks4500 plastic beads50 LED modules

35 hours of folding10 hours of weaving

One ETgalim (that’s me)One Aldo Bakker (thank you)

One Design Academy Eindhoven

Lot’s of fun

Thank you for your time

ETgalimDESIGNwww.etgalim.com