Kindled Flames

Project Overview

Kindled Flames is a digital art installation that explores the nature of light through an immersive and interactive animation. Built using Arduino and LED technology, the project combines physical computing with hand-crafted materials to create a captivating visual experience. The installation reflects themes of transformation and energy, brought to life through dynamic light behavior.

The Challenge

The main challenge was constructing a responsive light installation using only found and recycled materials. Every element, wood, glass bottles, wiring, had to be sourced sustainably, and carefully assembled to support the technical components. We also had to design and solder multiple LED strips and program complex lighting animations that could bring the piece to life in a compelling and coherent way.

Process & Development

The project began with material exploration, collecting wood and glass bottles that would form the physical structure of the piece. We designed the layout to frame and reflect the lighting in interesting ways, using layering, texture, and diffusion. From there, we moved into the electronics phase: soldering long runs of addressable LED strips and integrating them with an Arduino microcontroller. The code was developed to simulate flame-like motion, experimenting with timing, brightness curves, and color transitions. Each component, hardware and software, was iteratively tested and refined to achieve both technical reliability and aesthetic harmony.